FEBRUARY was the reverse of January, ending on a wintry note, but not as frosty as at the start of the year. Temperatures returned only to the levels we should expect.

The sustained mildness between these cooler periods was exceptional and more typical of April. We may not have appreciated it due to the wind as both months were very breezy at times. Mid-January to the middle of February was the warmest over England and Wales for as long as reliable records can be compared, i.e. since 1670. This adds to the many similar cases during autumns and winters in recent years. The warmth certainly deceived much of the wildlife into thinking it was spring, especially after that Christmas to New Year cold snap.

Even with the return to cooler conditions towards the end, February was still in the "very mild" category. It was the third warmest in my 19 years of data here at Carlton in Cleveland, near Stokesley, after those of 1990 and 1998. It was distinctly chillier than the latter, by 1.7C (3F), not surprisingly, as this was the warmest February of the twentieth century over northern Britain. The coldest day was the 23rd, when I measured a maximum of only 3.8C (39F), but even this was marginally warmer than the highest reached during the whole of the bitter February of 1986.

The increasingly vigorous, south-westerly airstream that affected the British Isles during the last three weeks of January kept blowing relentlessly into the first half of February. It brought frequent spells of rain or showers, but again, in the shelter of the Pennines, they were never very heavy or prolonged, giving our usual ration over the fortnight - in the order of 25mm (an inch) or so. However, the west side of the country had an almost daily deluge, with a few places averaging 25mm a day, resulting in widespread flooding. A few of the rivers flowing east, with sources largely in the upper reaches of the Dales, also ran high once or twice.

Towards the third weekend, high pressure built across the country, giving a fine, quiet interlude and allowing some respite for those troubled by the floods. Regretfully, this was just a temporarily lull, for by Sunday the 17th, we were back to square one - well almost.

This time the thrust of the weather came from the west or north-west, hence the lower temperatures. Rain fell every day for the rest of the month. Some was heavy, notably on the 25th and into the following morning, as a vigorous depression crossed the country, moving out into the North Sea near Whitby. There was also sleet and snow occasionally, with about 10cms (4in) lying in parts early on the 23rd.

Over the month, rainfall generally added up to about one and a half times the norm, but it was much wetter over the Pennines where some spots had their wettest February ever. This was in stark contrast to February 1998, which was record-breaking, not only for its warmth, but also its dryness. Then, the accumulation was a mere 5mm (0.2in), my driest of any month, apart from another February, in 1985, which had fractionally less.

The winter was also mild, particularly during the day, by about 1C (2F), marginally on the dry side, though, of course, wetter than usual in the west of our region.

FEBRUARY TEMPERATURES

& RAINFALL at

CARLTON in CLEVELAND

Mean max 9.1C, 48.5F, (+2.2C, +4F)

Mean min 2.9C, 37F, (+1.7C, +3F)

Highest max 12.9C, 55F, 1st

Lowest min -1.6C, 29F, 24th

Total rainfall 75mm, 3.0in, (+25mm, +1.0in)

Wettest day 15mm, 0.6in, 25th

No of rain days, with 0.2mm (0.01in) or more 21 (+7)

(Figures in brackets show the difference from the 18-year mean, 1984-2001)