'Exceptional' February rainfall was the worst in 150 years, Met Office confirms

A total of 201mm of rain was recorded in the north of England in February, compared to an average of 154.9mm across England.

At least 1mm of rain was recorded on 20 of 29 days.

Last month’s rainfall, which caused heavy flooding, was 292 per cent above average for February compared to the average for 1981 to 2010.

Following Storms Ciara, heavy flooding was reported across the district. The River Calder in Wakefield reached its highest ever level on Sunday, February 9.

Sunshine hours were also above average for the month, with 79.2 hours recorded in the north of England, 28 per cent above average.

A mean temperature of 5.1°C was recorded, around 1.4°C higher than average, though this is lower than February 2019.

Storm Dennis and Ciara helped make last month the wettest February since 1862, with notably fewer frosts, the Met Office said.

The Met Office said that Storm Ciara and Storm Dennis were to blame for “exceptional rainfall totals” across the country, as well as damage from flooding, falling debris and landslides which caused widespread disruption.