NI Weather: February was wettest on record

The heavy rainfall caused a number of local flooding problems

February 2020 was the wettest on record for Northern Ireland, according to figures released by the Met Office.

Provisional figures show 222.7mm (8.8in) of rain fell in Northern Ireland throughout the month - more than double the monthly average.

Castlederg in County Tyrone saw the highest amount with 301mm (11.8in) - its February average is 93.3mm (3.7in).

This winter was the fifth wettest and the fifth mildest for the UK as a whole since records began in 1862.

So why was it so wet?

There was an extremely strong jet stream, which was also further south than usual, bringing one Atlantic storm after another.

Storms Ciara, Dennis and Jorge contributed to the heavy rainfall and strong winds through the month.

February has been a notably mild but not record-breaking month for temperature.

In Northern Ireland 399.8mm (15.7in) fell during the three months of meteorological winter - December, January, February - which is 127% of the long-term average.

Storm Ciara was one of the reasons for the high rainfall

Is climate change a factor?

Rainfall patterns usually vary across Britain and Ireland, which makes it difficult to determine individual event links to climate change.

However, six out of the 10 wettest years on record have occurred since 1998 so we are seeing some wetter winters.

That is consistent with what climate change models predict.