February 1998

[Weather-history]

Mid February 1998 saw an exceptional mild spell as tropical maritime air flooded most parts of the UK. I remember how warm it felt in the sun, they were two lovely days,  that Friday and Saturday of 13th and 14th February. There was a Saharan dust event leaving brown splodges on cars etc.

Here are some remarkable maxima that was recorded on the 13th of that month.

Greenwich: 19.7C

Aberdeen: 15.8C
Bedford: 17C
Belfast: 14.9C
Birmingham Airport: 16C
Cardiff Airport: 14C
Coventry Airport: 16C
Glasgow Airport: 14.3C
Gravesend-Broadness: 19C
Hawarden: 17.3C
Liverpool Airport: 16C
London Weather Centre: 19.1C
London Gatwick: 17C
London Heathrow: 18.6C
Manchester Airport: 16.5C
Northolt: 18.7C
Nottingham: 17C
Pershore: 16.9C
Rhyl: 14.5C

The CET for 10th-16th February 1998: 10.4C

8th February 1998: snow lovers nightmare Countryfile forecast

 

Here's the forecast for that day, Peter Cockcrcoft wanted to make a cameo appearance.

 

 

[hillbilly]

FEBRUARY
�	C	F	�
1	16.1	61	Geldeston (Norfolk) 1898; Hodsock Priory (Notts) 1923
2	16.1	61	Rhyl (Denbigh) 1944
3	16.7	62.1	Lossiemouth (Moray) 2004
4	17.8	64.0	Rettendon (Essex) 2004
5	16.5	61.7	Aber (Gwynedd)1990
6	16.1	61.0	Aber (Gwynedd)1990; 15.9/60.6 East Bergholt (Suffolk) 1989
7	16.8	62.2	Durham 1993
8	15.9	60.7	Hodsock Priory (Notts) 1903
9	16.3	61.4	Cambridge- Botanic Gardens 1903
10	18.9*	66*	Brixton (London) 1899
�	18.3	65	Cambridge-Observatory, Regents Park (London), Llandudno (Conwy) 1899; 18.2/64.7 Ely (Cambs) 1899
11	16.1	61	Hawarden Bridge (Flintshire) and Cannington (Somerset) 1939; Dyce (Aberdeen) 1998
12	17.2	62.9	Ashburton (Devon) 1896
13	19.7* 19.6* 19.5	67.5* 67.3* 67.1	*Greenwich (London) 1998; *Barbourne (Worcester) 1998 Tivington (Somerset) 1998
14	19.1	66.4	Tivington (Somerset) 1998
15	18.1	64.6	Prestatyn (Denbigh) 1998
16	16.1	61	York, Wakefield (W Yorks), Arbroath (Angus) 1927
17	17.4	63.4	Llandudno (Conwy) 1878; 17.2/63 Kensington Palace and Regent's Park (both London) 1950
18	18.3	65	Kings Langley (Herts) 1945
19	16.7	62	Rugby (Warws) 1945; Wrexham 1961
20	17.1	62.8	Prestatyn (Denbigh) 1998
21	17.5	63.5	Banchory (Aberdeenshire) 1974
22	17.9	64.2	Aberdeen 1897
23	19.2	66.6	March (Cambs) 1990
24	17.8	64	Lairg, Nairn, and Glencarron (all Highland) 1891; 17.2/63 East Ham (London) 1921
25	16.6	61.9	Dyce (Aberdeen) 1976
26	16.7	62	Leeming (N Yorks) 1953
27	19.4	67	Cambridge-Observatory 1891
28	19.1	66.3	Harestock (Hants) 1891; 18.9/66 Greenwich (London) 1959
29	17.8	64	Milford (Surrey) 1948; Wakefield (W Yorks) and Wyton (Cambs) 1960
Back To Index
List of maximum temperatures recorded for each day of February

[hillbilly]

How many of these high temps have been created by the Fohn effect ?

[Sunny76]

I remember it well, and it was one of my least favourite weather events. Mild sunny weather in Feb just seems plain weird. It happened in 1990 and 2004 I think, but the 98 one felt really warmish. 

The depressing thing about it though, was how bad the summer was that followed. April was cold that year, and the summer was dismal and cool, apart from some warm sunny weeks in August.

[Optimus Prime]

A really astonishingly warm winter month for Scotland;

Mean Max; 8.7°c (+4.0°c)

Mean Min; 4.1°c (+4.7°c)

Mean; 6.4°c (+4.4°c)

Easily the warmest winter month in the series.

Specifically, for eastern Scotland mean minimum temperatures were 5.0°c above average! 

[Weather-history]

On 10/02/2018 at 19:36, FiftyShadesofSnow said:

That was a Bartlett winter wasn't it WH?

Yes there were spells of Bartlett high this being the most notable. Interestingly it was a -ve AO winter overall. January was very -ve AO but the NAO was +ve. 

[damianslaw]

On 10/02/2018 at 21:06, Sunny76 said:

I remember it well, and it was one of my least favourite weather events. Mild sunny weather in Feb just seems plain weird. It happened in 1990 and 2004 I think, but the 98 one felt really warmish. 

The depressing thing about it though, was how bad the summer was that followed. April was cold that year, and the summer was dismal and cool, apart from some warm sunny weeks in August.

Agree - I didn't enjoy, too early for warmth, dark by 6pm what good is there in that. It felt odd - I'm not a fan of very mild sunny clam weather in winter. 5 date records from 1998. The winter had been very mild as a whole apart from a fleeting cold spell mid December. The cold arrived in time for Spring. Indeed easter 98 was notably cold, much colder than anything February delivered. It was an odd period, probably down to the strong El Nino. Cold easters ending in the year 8 quite common it seems, 78, 88, 98 and 08 all cold... wouldn't be surprised to see 2018 join the list.

Edited February 15, 2018 by damianslaw

[Philipsfd]

Funnily enough the February of 10 years ago sticks out for bringing a spell of (good) Spring-like weather as well. It was a cold and snowy start but I think by approx the 4th/5th it had turned mild and in the second week I remember thinking the weather was something more akin to a pleasant spell in May; around the 10th/11th it was particularly warm and glorious. Seem to recall the second half of the month kept to a similar note. 

[LetItSnow!]

The collapse in the synoptics at the moment reminded me of this month and how quickly things can go from good to bad.

31 January 1998

 

12 February 1998

[Weather-history]

25 years ago