UK: Cool, showery weather to return in early March after record-warm February

By Renee Duff, AccuWeather meteorologist

By Eric Leister, AccuWeather senior meteorologist

The mild weather that has dominated the United Kingdom throughout February will be whisked away as a cooler, stormy weather pattern returns as March begins.

The region has basked in a stretch of record-breaking temperatures in recent days.

Last Thursday, Scotland recorded its highest February temperature on record as Aboyne in Aberdeenshire reached 18.3 degrees Celsius (64.9 degrees Fahrenheit), according to BBC News.

This broke the country’s previous record for the month, which was 17.9 C (64.2 F), set in 1897.

People enjoy their lunch break in a park during a sunny day as daffodils bloom in London, Friday, Feb. 22, 2019. (AP Photo/Frank Augstein)

Another record fell on Saturday when Achnagart, Scotland, recorded the United Kingdom's highest daily minimum temperature for February, as the lowest the temperature dipped was 13.9 °C.

The records continued to fall on Monday as the U.K. experienced its warmest February day on record when the temperature reached 20.6 C (69.1 F) in Trawsgoed, the Met Office reported. This marked the first time in the country’s history that the temperature exceeded 20 C (68 F) in winter.

The previous February record was set in 1998, when the temperature reached 19.7 C (67.5 F) in Greenwich.

This record lasted only a single day as temperatures soared even higher on Tuesday. A new record of 21.2 °C (70.2 F) was reported at Kew Gardens in southwest London.

The mild weather has left Scotland’s ski resorts facing one of their most difficult seasons ever, with some slopes forced to close early, according to The Guardian.

Some resorts have utilized snow machines in an effort to stay open.

Temperatures will average 6-11 degrees Celcius (10-20 degrees Fahrenheit) above-normal levels into midweek, amid continued dry weather.

“After a quiet and mild end to February, March looks to come in like a lion across the U.K.,” said AccuWeather Meteorologist Maura Kelly.

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“The weather pattern will become active with a parade of storm systems expected to move through during the first week of the month,” she added.

Change will be in the air on Thursday as showers spread across Wales and southern England and temperatures fall several degrees compared to earlier in the week.

A series of three storms will bring more unsettled weather to the U.K. from late Friday into Sunday.

“Each storm will bring a round of showers to the U.K.,” Kelly said. “Snow showers will be largely confined to the Scottish Highlands, where temperatures will fall below freezing.”

“The arrival of storms from the North Atlantic will also bring cooler air to the region, dropping temperatures to near normal for the beginning of March,” she added.

Despite the return of cooler conditions early in March, AccuWeather meteorologists expect this spring to be dominated by higher-than-normal temperatures in the U.K.

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