Favourite Februaries

[damianslaw]

I did a favourite November and January thread, lets complete the triple of my least favourite months as a whole for non-weather reasons.. what is your favourite February?

Feb 1996 is the first that springs to mind, namely due to the 18 inch fall of snow on 5/6th. Whilst the cold was episodic, it was very memorable.

More recently February has been a miss on the cold and snow front largely with exception of 2013, late 2018 and early 2021.

Feb 12 first half very cold with some snow, Feb 10 largely cold throughout, first half 09 cold and snowy.

Too young to remember the last sub freezing Feb in 1986, a remarkable month with wind between north and east throughout. It was very dry here. Shout out to Feb 91 , but not alot of snow here. Also enjoyed 1994 and 2001. 

Edited January 31 by damianslaw

[Harry233]

2021 - That snowy spell between the 8th-12th was the best I can ever recall in February. It was even better as right after we got buried in a foot of snow, the sun came right out and while it was extremely cold it was glorious. I recorded a minimum of -18.C on the 12th and a maximum of only -6.C that day. Then come the 23rd the weather completely flipped and became very mild and sunny with maxima of 14.C on both the 25th and 26th. 

2019 - Another month similar to 2021 but without the snow. The first half was very cold and frosty -8.C on both the 1st and 2nd, then that very mild spell between the 25th-28th. A high of 16.C and sunshine without the wind made it feel like a May Day here. 

2013 - Coming after a bleak January this was most welcome, it was a cold and sunny month with little snow and had lots of frosty mornings. Favourite combination for winter.

2012 - For the mild, sunny spell at the end of the month.

2008 - Sunshine and high maximum temperatures felt like a spring month most of the time.

[Wade]

In terms of cold and snow, it has to be February 2018 and 2021 

In terms of dryness and warmth, it has to be February 2019 and 2023

In terms of storminess and rain it has to be February 2020 and 2022

Edited February 1 by Wade

[Chesil View]

February 1978. Two week cold spell starting 7th Feb Heavy falls on the 15th and 16th before culminating with The great southwest Blizzard 18/19th. Up to 30 hours of Blizzard conditions. Dorset completely cut off.

Edited February 1 by Chesil View

[iand61]

Up here in my part of the the Pennines, it’s got to be February 1979.

A cold and snowy month throughout and sandwiched between a cold and snowy January and at times a wintry March.

The most severe blizzards were around mid month and exposed roads around these parts spent more time blocked than open and although areas further south and lower down saw milder air and rain encroach at times, up here we saw virtually nothing but snow from New Year until mid March.

I was barely a toddler in 1963 so easily the most severe winter I can remember.

 

 

[CryoraptorA303]

February 2012 in my lifetime, historically I'd love to experience something like February 1986, 1978, 1963, 1956 or 1947.

[hillbilly]

1978  I dont recall too much about this except that we had a lot of snow

1979  After spending a week digging out the farm lane by hand in January, February decided it would fill it all back in again,cold with large amounts of snow and drifts.

1986  My favoiurite,amazing just a mile down the road there was only a 4 inch cover of snow yet on the hilltops where we lived the snow was deeper and drifted the entire month in a stiff Easterly wind.We used a snowblower twice a day to keep the farm lane clear to get the milk out where i worked at 365 metres asl.The cold was brutal similar to 'Beast from the east' only we had it for almost 6 weeks continuous.I could ride my my off road motorcycle over the frozen snowdrifts under the walls into the next fields.The thickest ice i have ever seen,resevoirs frozen to 18 inch thick.Almost the entire month was subzero.The nearest thing to 1947 i will probably ever see.

1991 Very cold with lots of snow and deep drifts,filled the road level to walltops.

 

1996 Opened the house door to find a 5 foot drift,we kept a shovel in the porch in them days to get out the house except for 1979 when we had to get out through the upstairs window.Dads van was buried in the yard,was hard to make out it was there.

 

Edited February 1 by hillbilly

[cheeky_monkey]

 Chesil View agree on February 1978. damianslaw February 1986 i did not like.. dull very cold and dull plus it was dull ..dull and boring and cold 

[sundog]

Winter 80/81 , not a winter that sticks out much in my memory ( also being only 7) . But remember getting some snow in feb 81 during a cold snap which felt like it had rescued my winter.

18th feb

21st

 

Edited February 1 by sundog

[cheeky_monkey]

 sundog  interesting forecast i dont remember much about February 1981 ..but looking at the CET since 1991 only February 2010 has been colder than Feb 1981 and then only by 0.1c

[damianslaw]

 cheeky_monkey 1996 was colder..Just looked over the synoptics, nothing significantly cold, but also nothing especially mild, a mix of anticyclonic conditions, bursts of polar maritime air and the easterly shown above, the latter part of the month looks quite cold. 

[Metwatch]

February is the month where I would like the last dump of snow from a cold snap of the winter, but at the same time I wouldn't mind a taste of spring, especially in the second half.

My favourite ones of recent:

2023: loved the dryness and it was mild at times!

2021: colder first half with a little bit of snow, then final few days were largely sunny.

2019: The 'warmth' was very pleasant however unseasonal it might have felt.

2018: wintry while also mainly sunny and dry, before the beast arrived.

 

If I had better memories, 2009 and 2010 i'd have liked for the snowfalls. Some Spring-like Februaries such as 1998, 2004, 2008 I'd enjoy.

1991 and 1985 brought the deepest February snow depths here in modern times, both 16cm so they would probably be my favourite had I been alive back then. 1986 though very cold, doesn't sound like there was much snowfall.

Edited February 1 by Metwatch

[damianslaw]

Old weather saying 'winter's back breaks mid February', I think it implies after mid February the chance of sustained freezing weather becomes less likely largely on account of increasing solar input, but as shown in 1986 and 2018 late Feb and early March can pack a punch, but never feels the same as earlier in the winter with the low light and limited sun strength. By the last week of Feb there is a very different feel about things. Before and after the half term holidays always felt very different. I feel the same about August something changes mid month in feel.. its subtle but quite pronounced. 

Edited February 1 by damianslaw

[danm]

1991 is still to be beaten in my lifetime down here (born 1986).

[A Winter's Tale]

I don’t have many clear weather memories of February in the 00s which stand out. I have a memory of deep snow cover at my grandparent’s and then being stuck on the M8 when travelling home during what I believe was the snowfall at the end of Feb 2001. 

I can remember the sunshine in early Feb 2008. While staying a few nights in Oban one day was warm with temperatures of around 15C and we spent the afternoon at the beach.

My strongest memory of February weather in the 00s was 2009. It was the first time I had experienced a cold spell which lasted nearly two weeks. The snowfall on the 2nd was the largest since Mar 2006. Sadly it was all gone the following day as forecast of overnight snow ended up as rain. On the 4th a fall of snow brought a dusting. The frontal snowfall on the evening of the 8th was the most significant of the cold spell. I think there was another fall of snow around the 12th. 

I have vague memories of Feb 2010 being generally cold with some snow at the end of the month. 

Feb 2013 had a couple of snow falls early in the month. A north westerly brought an inch of the snow and lightning late on the 3rd. A frontal snowfall on the 8th was the largest of the winter with 8cm. The highlight of the month was the second half of the month which was largely calm, settled, dry and sunny. The transition from winter to Spring was very evident with temperates climbing during the day to after frosty nights with minima as low as -7C. Elements of both seasons was evident in terms of the quality of light with a wintry element still present but the stronger sunlight and longer daylight also becoming more clear. There were some fantastic sunsets during this period - a very fine period of late winter weather. 

The first week of Feb 2015 had around an inch of snow cover following the snowfall at the end of January. This period was quite sunny aswell. There was an impressive sunset across Scotland on the 7th.

2018 is best remembered for the beast from the east. Overall it was a decent winter month with a few snowfalls bringing a covering of snow earlier in the month. It was generally cold and sunny month too. The end of the month was remarkable. The snow really started to get going late on the 27th with an inch by the end of the day. It continued into the 28th and the Met office issued a red warning for heavy snow. By the end of the day the depth was 23cm and another 3cm was added early on 1st March. This depth is the highest I’ve recorded since I started measuring in 2010. Prior to 2010, the only snowfalls this century that rival 2018 were Dec 2000 and Mar 2006. The remarkable thing about 28th February was the maximum temperature at Glasgow airport was -3C. In records going back to 1973 this was coldest maximum temperature during the second half of winter. For it to happen on the final day of winter was extraordinary as well as the heavy snow and strong winds which accompanied the low temperatures. The spectacle of whiteouts, freezing cold powdery snow which drifted, and a bitter wind chill is an experience I’ll never forget. 

Feb 2021 was a month of two halves. Initially it was quite unpleasant with a lot of wet weather as the weather started to transition to something colder. Snow from the easterly started on the 7th. 6cm fell on the 8th and the depth peaked at 11cm the following day. The following days were cold and sunny. The stronger sun reduced the snow cover somewhat however the period 8-14th February had at least 5cm of snow on the ground at some point. It would be difficult for snow to last so long in sunny conditions after this point in the winter. It was a notably cold period a daily mean of -4.5c on the 11th at Glasgow airport the lowest in available records dating back to 1973. In addition, only two days in the last 50 years have recorded lower maxima (3 days with highs of 0C) and minima (-11C on the 11th). This was a very ideal period of winter weather. If you can’t have a protracted severe cold spell like 2010 or a major snowfall like 2018 then a spell like Feb 2021 is the next best thing: a fall of 10cm, up to a week of 5cm accompanied with sunshine, daytime highs struggling to get above freezing and a sub -10c low. The month as a whole didn’t turn out too cold as the final two weeks were very mild but sunny.

It’s difficult to choose one month as my favourite. It’s a choice between 2013, 2018 and 2021. 

[SunSean]

February 2019 would have been my favourite, but I was stuck at work for most of it & didn't really get to experience any of it, missing all of the warm days at the end. February 2023 I found very enjoyable for the amount of crisp sunny days & lots of memories being at the seaside pub, watching the waves & sunsets in the deep blue sunshine. I enjoyed the end of February 2022 as well which featured 3 days in a row of wall to wall sunshine!

[MIKE LEVITT]

February 1969,easily the best i remember.frequent northerly winds,heavy snow or heavysnow showers.type of weather we rarely get now.the east coast has never had it so good for heavy snow showers on a north wind.

[A Face like Thunder]

On 31/01/2024 at 23:44, damianslaw said:

Feb 1996 is the first that springs to mind, namely due to the 18 inch fall of snow on 5/6th. Whilst the cold was episodic, it was very memorable.

Me too! Definitely an event to remember, even after 28 years (tomorrow).

[slaphead]

 Metwatch yes always try to mention Feb 1985. I think it must have been a fairly midlands based event ( I was near Walsall) The best drifting and cold combination I can remember....

 

[damianslaw]

 A Face like Thunder It's time for a Feb 96 thread I believe!..

[SqueakheartLW]

Favourite Februaries

My favourite Februaries from my remembered lifetime. First into a few categories then my top 3 overall below this.

For snow

For snow it has to be 1994, 1996, 2004, 2009 and 2018 for snowy months or decent snowy setups / events during these Februaries.

1st - 2009 for me was the snowiest of these in terms of snow events at least. 4 separate snow events on the 2nd, 5th, 8th and 12th with wintry / snow showers scattered in general between 1st and 13th.

2nd - 2018 was my favourite for the extreme nature of the BFTE but there was also another frontal snow event earlier in the same month too.

3rd- 1994 I recall had 2 frontal snow events as well as snow showers off an easterly too.

4th - 1996 for me had the cold early in the month and the short but potent cold blast from the NE on the 19th that gave whiteout conditions in blizzard like snow showers was amazing to experience.

5th - 2004 was probably my least favourite of my snowy choices but made the list due to getting a bit of snow at least. The main event on the morning of the 28th.

For Variety

For variety it has to go to 1999, 2001, 2012, 2019 and 2021 for a mix of cold / snow and mild or warm

1st - 2019 was very interesting purely for the huge temperature range during that month. Cold enough for severe frosts and snow at the start and warm enough to be like summer by the end of the month. Don't think I've seen such an extreme contrast in a winter month ever before.

2nd - 2001 was interesting for variety as well and generally was a cold start, a mild middle and a cold end. Cold and dry with freezing fog and a little snow early on, then less cold but wet 2nd week. The 3rd week was very mild, dry and sunny from what I recall before the main snowy course came from the 23rd onwards with the best snow event on the evening of the 25th.

3rd - 2012 was similar to 2009 in a tale of two halves. Cold and dry first half then mild and dry 2nd half. Decent frontal snow events on both the 4th and 8th.

4th - 2021 is like a watered down version of 2019 for temperature extremes with the cold a bit longer and the mild spell less warm than 2019 but still interesting non the less. Saw more snow in 2021 as well compared with 2019.

5th - 1999 was a definite classic of wild switches between cold and / or snow and mild and in this month wet. My favourite week of that month has to be from the 6th to the 13th as this was the coldest and snowiest week of that month. Although there were more short lived cold snaps in the month the big switches between the cold and the mild made this month interesting.

For dream synoptics and this only

2005 was only on this list due to the perfect dream cold and snowy synoptics that dominated the period from the 18th through to the end of the month. If only this had delivered on what was showing. Too little real cold to tap into so perfect setup wasted and only looked good on the synoptic charts after a general lack of this kind of setup for years before it.

For cold

This has to go to 2010 and 2013

1st - 2010 for me just takes it over 2013 purely because I saw just a little bit more snow in 2010 to go along with the cold month compared with 2013.

2nd - 2013 for me was very much a cold month wasted. Was a lot of snow potential here but cold, dry and often cloudy doesn't cut it much for me. May as well make use of the cloud and get snow.

My overall top 3 favourite Februaries

1st - 2009 for me is hands down my favourite February due to several snow events as I mentioned above and the prolonged nature of the cold during the first half of that month. The second half was a bit of a let down but at least it was mostly dry with the milder weather and didn't turn into a washout.

2nd - 2019 was my overall second best February month that I can remember. This is purely due to the huge temperature contrasts during this month with the cold and snow at the start and summer like warmth at the end. Even though there was very little snow in the month the way this month panned out made me rate it quite highly.

3rd - 2018 comes 3rd for me due to the Beast from the East event at the end of the month that came after a generally chilly month but not overly cold until this beast came. The very extreme nature of the cold and the snow was what pushed 2018 right up into my top 3 February months.

[Sun Chaser]

Actually there's been a surprising amount of enjoyable Februaries. In recent times, 2018 and 2019 were both very sunny. 2019 was my favourite hands down due to the snow at the start then very springlike final two weeks but I did enjoy 2018's frosty and snowy spells ending with the BFTE. While Feb 2023 was almost bone dry and very springlike too with some beautiful sunsets. What I'll also say is that many others have had up to a week of very sunny, mild and dry weather towards the end such as 2021 and 2022 which I didn't enjoy the first three weeks of but then they turned.

Going further back I also enjoyed Feb 2008 and 2012 for how sunny and dry they were. Feb 2009 was very snowy which I liked. Had I been alive for Feb 1998 that might've even beaten out the others!

If I was to rank them:

1. 2019

2. 2008

3. 2023

4. 2018

5. 2012

[damianslaw]

2019 brought little snow here, perhaps a few cms at best at the start and I don't recall it being very cold at all. Certainly ranks much lower than 1991, 1994, 1996, 2001, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2009, 2010, 2012, 2013, 2018 and 2021 from a Lake District perspective on the cold and snow front. 

I was living in the NE England in 1999, and remember the second week being cold and snowy with a arctic northerly. 

Edited February 4 by damianslaw

[baddie]

Doing this by rankings from 1-10 going back to 2005

2023 - 8/10 (March should have been like this)
2022 - 4/10 (The storms mid-month were interesting but I prefer dry conditions in February)
2021 - 6/10 (Sadly, there wasnt any significant snow, and much of the second half was cloudy)
2020 - 1/10 (No explanation needed)
2019 - 10/10 (Due to the freaky last week)
2018 - 8/10 (The proper lying snow didnt come until March 1st, though the blizzards were cool)
2017 - 3/10 (Dry but very dull)
2016 - 6/10
2015 - 6/10
2014 - 5/10 (There was some Decent sunshine and early-Spring weather, and it wasnt too wet in my area)
2013 - 5/10
2012 - 8/10 (First half was perfect, Second half was a bit like 2021)
2011 - 2/10
2010 - 2/10 (A cold month, but very wet and dull)
2009 - 5/10 (The snowy first half was nice, but the low sunshine totals stops it from going any higher)
2008 - 9/10 (Would have been a 10 if the first few days were even colder with snow)
2007 - 4/10
2006 - 5/10 (Cold, dry but nothing interesting)
2005 - 5/10

My top 5 are 2019, 2008, 2012, 2023 and 2018

As for Feb 2024, Im seeing shades of Feb 2021 or a "Colder version of Feb 2005"

Edited February 5 by baddie