IN THE old days, February was fairly reliably the coldest winter month, and could be very dry. So far this century it has often given us springlike conditions, but with wet months becoming more frequent as well. February 2026 followed that pattern.

With January’s overall atmospheric situation persisting into February, the first few days saw a continuation of the theme of spells of heavy rain with a light east wind. However, the very cold air over the continent did not reach us, so temperatures were above average. By the end of the first week the Wellington rain gauge had collected 58mm (2.3 inches), to add to the flooding issues in the area, but then a shift in the weather pattern saw mild south-westerly breezes take over.

Although every day in the second week saw some rain, it amounted to only about 30mm (1.2 inches). There were also sunny spells, with the odd day staying dry until after dark. Temperatures by day and night were consistently well above average, although Valentine’s Day (February 14) was cooler with a maximum temperature in Wellington of 7⁰C (45⁰F) after a ground frost first thing. By way of compensation there was bright sunshine until quite late in the afternoon.

During the third week a depression formed in the Western Approaches, with the centre subsequently tracking from the Scilly Isles south-eastwards into France and then Italy, giving the heavy snow that disrupted the Winter Olympics. With low pressure to the south of us, we experienced a strengthening breeze from the east which brought belts of sometimes heavy rain. This made Wednesday, February 18, the wettest day of the month, with a total of 20mm (0.8 inch) in Wellington, ending a spell of 42 days with rain recorded every day.

Following this we entered a remarkably mild spell that would last almost to the end of February. With the wind veering to the south-west overnight on February 20, bringing air from the subtropics, the temperature in Wellington the next day reached 15⁰C (59⁰F), despite the rather damp, cloudy conditions. Temperatures by day and night then remained about five degrees above average for the rest of the week, with a remarkable maximum of 15.6⁰C (60⁰F) on Wednesday, February 25. That was the fifth highest temperature ever recorded in February in this area. The average temperature for that week was 11.5⁰C (53⁰F), which is more typical for early May.

Although Saturday, February 28 was pleasantly sunny, there was some rain after dark on each of the last three days, taking the month’s total to 146mm (5.8 inches) and making it our seventh wettest February on record. The winter as a whole was the second wettest ever with a total rainfall in Wellington of 587mm (23 inches), slightly less than in the winter of 2013/14. It was the second warmest February on record, with a mean temperature of 8.2⁰C (46.8⁰F) in Wellington. That used to be about average for April.