Do you know that I’ve said the words ‘storm’ and ‘rain’ 462 times in my forecasts so far this February?
Ok, I haven’t actually been counting, but I’m sure it’ll be close. Most people dream of having outdoor swimming pools, and for many of us our dreams came true last Friday as the rain turned thousands of gardens into mud baths – not quite what we had in mind Mother Nature.
If you live in central or southern Scotland then it’ll probably come as no surprise to you that it’s been the wettest February on record for quite a few locations.
The most noteworthy is Edinburgh Botanics which has broken 78 years’ worth of records with 127mm of rain falling so far this month, which is two-and-a-half times the months normal rainfall.
Bishopton in Renfrewshire has had a shocking amount of rain, at nearly 300mm for the month so far, breaking 20 years of records.
It’s also been the wettest February on record for Millport, Strathallan and Prestwick.
Bishopton has not just had its wettest February on record, but is only 70mm off having its wettest ever month on record. I would say it’s unlikely to break that record, but to be close to that is pretty dire stuff. The amount of rain that’s fallen in the first eight weeks of the year is the same as the rainfall that fell in January, February, March, April and half of May last year.
While most of us are drookit after a horrendous February and it feels like our jackets will never be dry again, it’s been quite a contrast in Aberdeenshire. Fyvie and Dyce are the driest places in the UK this month with just under half the normal rainfall for February.
In contrast to Bishopton’s 300mm, Fyvie has only had about 30mm of rain. The reason this huge discrepancy has occurred is because our airflow has been predominantly westerly meaning the Cairngorms have captured most of the rainfall with drier air then descending into Aberdeenshire.
With another week to go the rainfall totals will continue to go up with further spells of rain and showers to come, although it shouldn’t be anywhere near as bad as last week. We await for the offerings of March, but I do hope it’s something a bit more kind and a bit less soggy.
