During the greater part of the month the distribution of pressure was wholly or partly anticyclonic. High pressure was generally centred over the UK or to its south, occasionally drifting east over Europe, thus ensuring milder airflows from the south or west. Few depressions traversed the British Isles or the immediate vicinity and those that did were shallow and weak.

  Consequently it was an exceptionally dry and mild month. For a greater part of the month the mean temperature stood at 3°c above average before settling back to 'just' 2°c above average during the final week. The mildness of the month came courtesy of the frequency and consistency of mild days and nights as opposed to having a particularly warm spell during the month. Any cooler interludes were short and insignificant and wintry weather was totally absent in what was a quiet month.

  The dryness of the second half of January continued unabated throughout February which here at Maulds Meaburn became the driest February in my records and the third driest of any month of any name. By mid-month we had entered into a period of 'Partial Drought' with any rainfall being both rare and nominal and by the month's end the picture had shown no signs of improvement.

  The month opened with a low pressure (LP) system moving west-east across Shetland bringing windy conditions overnight and a.m. but very little rain - the month would then settle down to high pressure (HP) being the dominant force and pretty much for the whole month.

  HP would either be over the UK over very nearby, usually in Biscay or widely over Europe, but it controlled our weather and any incursions of fronts were rare and weak when they did venture our way. The theme was generally one of dry days, generally cloudy, but with some sunny interludes and very mild - there was nothing wintry about the month at all.

  The first 14 days saw just 2.2 mm of rainfall and this brought about the rarity of a winter 'Partial Drought' - a 30 day period going back to the 16th January when the rainfall averaged no more than 0.2 mm per day (29 days is the qualifying period) and in these 30 days just 4.8 mm of rain was recorded - and bear in mind that this immediately followed a 31 day period when rain had fallen on every day, totalling 283.8 mm!

  Apart from the dryness of this period it was also very mild, especially at the start of the month which saw an overnight minimum of 8.4°c to start the 3rd which equalled the February record for highest minimum temperature.

  There was a dip in temperatures 5-7th which did see temperatures below the seasonal norm' with a couple of air frosts and day-time maxima between 5-6°c. This coincided with air pressure reaching its zenith for the month of 1047.2 MB (5th), which equalled the record for this site. After another pair of frosts 13-14th, the period of 16th - 21st was notably mild with most days seeing temperatures over 10&176c, and which included a month's high of 13.1°c (20th). However, the days were now just tending to be cloudy and sunshine was less frequent.

  This milder period coincided with the month's wettest period, which in reality just saw a little rain on five consecutive days! Even then, the month's wettest day (3.4 mm 17th) saw that rain fall overnight.

  The month would finish a little cooler, but with temperatures still at or fractionally above average, the 25th recording the month's lowest maximum of 5.2°c.

  MSLP of 1026.5 Mb was +16.2 MB above average for the month and overall a mean minimum of 3.03°c and a mean maximum of 8.59°c saw the temperature 1.96°c above the fourteen year average for this site.

  It was the warmest February yet recorded at this site (record began in 2009) - the highest maximum temperature recorded during the month being 13.1°c (20th), the lowest minimum -3.1°c (5th).

  Rainfall of 11.3 mm (Maulds Meaburn North 9.0 mm -- Castlehowe Scar 15.9 mm) was 9.6% of average for 2008-22, making it the driest February yet recorded at this site. It is also the third driest of any month of any name in that record.

  During the month the following 'days of' were recorded: nothing at all - the wind speed averaged 7.32 mph, with a maximum gust of 44 mph (20th).

  We had 5 Air Frosts in the month (year 14)          --          Grass Frosts totalled 14 (year 29).

  The 1 foot soil temp ranged from a low of 4.5°c on the 7th        to      a high of 7.5°c on the 21st     --      with a monthly mean of 5.9°c

  The 1 meter soil temp ranged from a low of 6.0°c on the 1st      to      a high of 7.2°c on the 23rd to 25th and the 27th     --     with a monthly mean of 6.7°c

  At the Met' Office site at Shap a mean minimum of 2.4°c and a mean maximum of 7.9°c saw the monthly mean temperature 2.0°c above average. It was the warmest February since 1998. In a record back to 1992, one has been warmer, 28 colder, with no data in two years.

  Rainfall of 30.0 mm represents 15.8% of its average. It was the driest February since 2009 and in a record that commenced in 1989, two have been drier and 32 have been wetter.

  At Appleby in Westmorland rainfall of 6.8 mm represents 9.97% of its average (1857-2022) and made it the driest since 1985 - in a record that commenced in 1857, four have been drier and 162 have been wetter.

  Cumbria Rainfall - Without exception the whole of the county saw below average rainfall during February and which was broadly driest in the east.

  The dryness of the month was a continuation of the second half of January and by mid month, using the 'old' definition, some locations had entered into a period of 'Partial Drought' (Period of at least 29 consecutive days whose mean daily precipitation does not exceed 0.2 mm).

  In the LDNP it was broadly the driest February since 2013, but at Appleby In Westmorland it was the driest since 1985 and the fifth driest in a record that commenced in 1857.

  At a few locations percentage falls fell just below 10% - discounting Maulds Meaburn and Shap village (records not yet long enough), Appleby In Westmorland returned the lowest percentage fall at 9.97%.

  And indeed with a final total of just 6.8 mm Appleby In Westmorland also had the lowest monthly total in the county as well.

  Those percentages steadily increased as we ventured west, Burnbanks at 15.8% and Brothers water 42.7% showing a large increase in a relatively short distance.

  By the time we arrive in the western Lake District averages had risen just above 50%, but the 75.4% at Seathwaite and 75% at Mickleden were untypically high.

  However, Mickleden with 223.0 mm and 39.6 mm on the 17th took both accolades of greatest monthly fall and largest daily fall.

  The month was relatively dry for the first half with insignificant falls, but was wettest during the 16th to 21st when some sites within the LDNP saw an inch or more of rain fall on three separate days. The month then finished on a quieter note with rainfall once again becoming less frequent and insignificant.

  And quite remarkably no site within the county reported any snow has having fallen!

  Figures from the Environment Agency's rainfall sites were, (figure in brackets being the monthly average for 1991-2020)   'Data kindly provided by the Hydrometry and Telemetry team of the Environment Agency (Penrith)':

  Kirkby Thore 9.8 mm -- (60.7 mm)

  Haresceugh Castle (Kirkoswald) 26.62 mm -- (76.0 mm)

  Brothers Water 115.38 mm -- (270.4 mm)

  Orton (Shallowford) 44.8 mm -- (149.3 mm [average for 1967-2022]) - making it the driest since 2010 and since 1967 when the record commenced, six have been drier and fifty have been wetter.

  Seathwaite Farm (Borrowdale) 219.8 mm -- (291.7 mm [average for 1845-2022]) - making it the driest since 2013 and since 1845 when the record commenced, 63 have been drier and 115 have been wetter.