FEBRUARY 1997
On Fair Isle February is often cold, settled and the 'calmest' of the winter months. February 1997 was the very opposite - mild (0.9° Celsius above normal), unsettled and very windy. Though not quite the windiest February, gales were more frequent than for any previous February. It was a wet month with 186.2% of the normal rainfall. Hours of sunshine were in fact slightly above average with 103.7% of normal.
 | Daily Data |
| Weather Diary |
1997 Day 1974-96 1997 Day 1974-96 Mean Max Temperature 6.7 5.4 Highest Max temp 10.0 22 10.5 Mean Min Temperature 3.4 2.9 Lowest Min temp 0.0 15 -5.1 Mean Sea Temperature 6.8 6.5 Lowest grass minimum -3.0 15 -12.3 30 cm Earth temperature 4.6 4.2 Days with ground frost 2 10.3 100cm Earth temperature 5.3 5.0 Days with air frost 0 3.9 Total Rainfall (mm) 119.1 63.9 Days with snow/sleet 10 11.3 Wettest Day (mm) 16.5 19 11.3 Days snow cover at 09hr 0 3.3 Rain Days ( 0.1mm +) 26 19.9 Days with hail 15 11.7 Wet Days (0.9mm +) 23 14.1 Days fog during 24hrs 2 3.4 Total sunshine, hrs 61.0 58.8 Days with fog at 09hrs 0 0.3 Sunniest day, hrs 5.4 28 7.1 Days with NIL sun 8 8.1 Mean wind speed, kts 24.0 18.9 Days with gale 17 7.0 Maximum gust, kts 72 19 65.3 Days with thunder 2 0.4 Mean Sea Level pressure 995.0 1010.4 Days with aurora 3 3.7 Wind Direction% North 3.6 9.5 S. West 25.0 15.6 N. East 3.6 4.4 West 25.0 14.3 East 0.0 9.4 N. West 10.7 7.8 S. East 7.1 15.1 South 25.0 23.3 CALM 0.0 1.4
1| Early ground frost
2| SSE'ly gale 0030-0115, 0345-0400 UTC. 0710 UTC wind veer 240-270deg, 0725 UTC wind ease 26-16kt. 0810 UTC inc. 16-24 kt and veer 280°. Squally showers. Small hail showers during early afternoon.
3| S'ly gale from 0838 UTC, increasing severe gale F9 at times after 1230 UTC and later veering SSW'ly. Gale ceased at 1800 UTC. W'ly gale from 1900 UTC, increasing F9 at times. Gust to 60 kt at 1938 UTC. Gale ceased 2305 UTC.
4| Frequent wintry showers, some mod. of rain, rain and snow and small hail during the morning leaving the ground partly (30%) covered with thawing ice 08-09 UTC. Around 80% cover on Malcolm's Head and Meoness. Occasional wintry showers in the afternoon and evening.
5| Clear spells and showers overnight with a F4-5 W'ly wind. Showers turning wintry during the morning with some small hail. A period of rain and drizzle during the early afternoon, then further wintry showers. W'ly wind increasing F6-7. Evening dry with clearing skies, then increasing high cloud and wind backing SSW'ly F5.
6| S'ly gale 0830-1210 UTC and 1528-2300 UTC. Gust to 57 kt at 2240 UTC. Moderate rain during morning, brighter in afternoon, further moderate rain in evening.
7| W'ly gale 0052-0115 UTC, WSW'ly gale 0730-0740 UTC. Squally showers of rain, hail and snow during the morning - some moderate leaving a deposit of thawing ice. 1430-1520UTC several thunderstorms. W to WSW'ly gale, increasing severe gale F9 at times, from late morning until late evening. Gust to 71 kt at 1835 UTC. Visibility to 800 m at 1449UTC in heavy rain, hail (13mm) and snow and moderate thunderstorm. State of ground E'=2 at 15UTC with 1cm of thawing ice(hail stones) and snow.
8| WSW'ly gale 0025-0035 UTC.
9| S'ly gale F8 0555-0630 UTC. SSW'ly gale F8 0710 UTC, veering WSW'ly at 0730 UTC and inc. W'ly severe gale F9 0845-0905 UTC. The gale F8 moderated F7 at 0952 UTC. Gust to 62 kt at 0853 UTC. Wind easing markedly after 1750 UTC, and subsequently backing SSW'ly. Moderate aurora glow and arch, with a small area of 'curtain' low to the NNE, observed at 2054 UTC. Cirrus cloud to the north obscured much of the detail.
10| Moderate sleet and small hail shower at 1800 UTC
11| Showers of rain and small hail, dying out during the evening. A moderate aurora glow during the evening, with a strong rayed arc visible at 2347 UTC.
12| Salt haze hanging over the Skerries, cliffs etc in the light wind during the morning. 1155 UTC: an 'explosive' type of noise heard - distant to the SW. Rain shower late evening.
13| Rain and drizzle during the morning, then moderate small hail shower with a little snow 1155-1205 UTC. Further rain, moderate at times, during the afternoon until 1620 UTC. Some rain showers later in the evening.
14| A cold, dry day.
15| A dry day, cold at first.
16| Gale 0955 UTC, increasing F9 1300 UTC, decreasing F8 just before midnight. Rain and drizzle from soon after midday.
17| SE gale ceased 0045 UTC. S'ly gale 1055, backing SSE to SE'ly and increasing F9 1450 UTC - veering S'ly and easing F8 2040 UTC - 2115 UTC.
18| Moderate hail showers during the afternoon - leaving the ground more than half covered with melting ice for a short while. Further hail showers during the evening. SW'ly gale from 2330 UTC.
19| SW'ly gale ceased 0010 UTC. SE'ly gale 1050 UTC, increasing F9 1400 UTC with gust to 70 kt at 1415 UTC. Veering S';y and easing F8 1550 UTC. Gale ceased 1810 UTC as wind veered WSW'ly, but increased gale F8 1845 UTC and F9 later in evening with gust to 72 kt just before midnight. Small hail showers during evening.
20| WSW'ly severe gale F9 increasing storm F10 0235 UTC-0245 UTC. Gust to 72 kt at 0245 UTC. Easing SW'ly gale F8 0820 UTC. Gale or near gale during the morning and afternoon. A cold day with frequent small hail showers and some sleet.
21| Cold with squally showers of hail, rain and snow - and snow in the heavier showers during the morning when visibility fell to 600 m. Ground more than half covered with thawing snow at 08 UTC, and less than half cover for much of the morning and afternoon. Slight thunderstorm with visibility of 600 m in moderate snow 1114 - 1120 UTC. W'ly gale 1235-1245 UTC, otherwise F6-7. Milder in the evening with a F6-7 S to SSWly wind and moderate rain.
22| A very mild night with rain, the SSW'ly F7 wind increasing gale F8 0030-0350 UTC. Gust to 53 kt at 0333 UTC. Some brightness at first during the morning as the wind veered WSW F5, then further rain and dri UTC UTCle. Becoming cooler during the day. Dry for a time in the early evening, then more rain and drizzle as the wind backed SSW'ly.
23| S'ly wind increasing gale F8 0450 UTC, veering SW'ly at 0915 UTC and easing F7 at 1015 UTC. Some showers late morning, more frequent during the afternoon - generally light but turning wintry with small hail. Showers dying out to give a sunny end to the afternoon, the wind becoming a light SW'ly - later SSE'ly and SE'ly F7 by midnight.
24| SE'ly F7 at first, veering S'ly 0430 UTC, and SSW'ly F6 during the morning. A dry, sunny day with a F6-7 SSW'ly wind. Wind veering WNW'ly for a time during the evening, but backing S'ly by midnight.
25| S'ly F6 wind backing SW'ly and easing F4 by morning, soon veering W to WNW'ly and increasing F6-7 with gale F8 1525-1535 UTC. Rain showers at first, then small hail during the afternoon as temperatures fell. Showers becoming less frequent during the evening.
26| Scattered small hail showers early, dying out by dawn. A F6 NW'ly wind at first, easing F4-5 by dawn and F3 during the afternoon , then backing S'ly by evening. Moderate sleet by midnight, with the wind increasing F5-6 SSW'ly.
27| Rain and snow early, with a F5-6 SSW'ly wind. Dry and bright by dawn, the wind having veered WSW'ly, still F5-6 at first, but easing F4-5 during the morning. Thickening cloud bringing rain from 1420 UTC - moderate at times - with the wind backing SSE'ly and increasing gale F8 from 1440 UTC. Pressure falling quickly during the late afternoon (5.0 to 6.3 mb/3hr between 1500 UTC and 1800 UTC. A dry evening after about 1900 UTC, the wind easing F7 at 1905 UTC. Becoming quite mild by the evening. 1330 UTC: sea temperature 6.8° Celsius.
28| Outbreaks of rain, with a F6-7 S to SSW'ly wind - increasing gale F8 0340-0420 UTC - overnight, clearing to almost cloudless skies by dawn. A cooler morning with an occasional shower, but the cloud remaining mostly well broken. During the afternoon, as the wind veered SW'ly, the showers became more frequent - some moderate with small hail. The wind increased gale F8 1514-1605 UTC. By 2100 UTC the showers had become frequent - moderate at times with small hail - and blustery as the wind veered WSW'ly F7 with gale F8 1800-2100 UTC and from 2225-2305 UTC. A gust of 60 kt was recorded at 2300 UTC. Lightning was seen at 2005 UTC.
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