A Month of Contrasts
Temperatures
The average maximum temperature during February 2021 in Shoreham was 8.0 Celsius (46F), and that was about 0.5 Celsius (<1F) below normal for the time of year. The average minimum temperature was 4.1 Celsius (39F), and that was around 0.5 Celsius (<1F) above the February normal.
The highest temperature recorded during the month was 12.9 Celsius (55F), on the 27th, but the maximum on the 21st was 12.7 Celsius (55F), and 2 other days had highs above 12 Celsius (54F). On a further 9 days the temperature exceeded 10 Celsius (50F). Apart from the 2nd and 5th, all of these milder days occurred after the 17th. There was a brief cold spell during the second week. In fact, apart from the 1st, when a high of 4.9 Celsius (41F) was recorded, there were only 7 other days with maxima below 5 Celsius (41F). Each of these days had highs of 3 Celsius (37F) or lower. The temperature only reached minus 0.8 Celsius (30F) on the 8th, with 0.4 Celsius (32F) recorded on the 9th.
No especially mild nights occurred during February, but the temperature only fell to 10.1 Celsius (50F) on the 24th, and there were 5 other nights with minima above 8 Celsius (46F), including a low of 9.8 Celsius (50F) on the 20th. The only one of these milder nights occurring before the 18th, was on the 3rd, when a minimum of 8.1 Celsius (46F) was measured. The coldest nights were clustered between the 7th and 14th when each of these nights had minima below 3 Celsius (37F). On 5 other occasions, the temperature fell to between 2 and 3 Celsius (36-37F), including each of the last 3 nights of the month. The lowest temperature was minus 2.6 Celsius on the 11th, but minus 2.3 Celsius was recorded on the 13th.
The sea temperature was around 7 Celsius (45F) at the beginning and end of February, but dropped to 6 Celsius (43F) for a while during, and after, the cold weather.
Frost
Air frost occurred on 6 nights during February, and that was 1 day above average for the time of year. All the air frosts occurred between the 8th and 13th, and although numerically they were mostly slight, combined with brisk east winds, they proved to be damaging to the more tender plants and shrubs. There were 13 nights with grass frosts, which is 1 below the average. The grass frosts occurred in 2 batches. These were from the 4th to the 14th, with 9 frosts, and from the 23rd to the 28th, when 4 grass frosts were recorded. Grass temperatures were not particularly low, with the lowest values being minus 6.7 Celsius (20F) on the 11th and minus 4.4 Celsius (24F), on the 13th.
Rain
Rainfall in February amounted to 55.8 millimetres (2.2 ins.). This was less than 10% below average for the month. Rain fell on 13 days, which is 5 days below average, and wet days (when 1 millimetre (0.04 ins.) or more of rain falls) numbered 11 days, and that was 1 day below average. The month began wet with 6 millimetres (0.25 ins.) of rain falling overnight on the 1st, with a further 9 millimetres (0.35 ins.) on the 2nd. In fact, measurable precipitation was recorded on each of the first 7 days of February, including a fall of 7 millimetres (0.3 ins.) on the 4th. The next measurable rain fell on the 14th, and it was the wettest day of the month with 11.6 millimetres (0.45 ins.) recorded. A further 6.8 millimetres (0.3 ins.) were added to the total on the 16th, but the second half of February was considerably drier than the first half. Between the 17th and the end of the month, there were only 2.6 millimetres (0.1 ins.) of rain.
Hail
No hail was observed in this part of Shoreham.
Thunder
No thunder was heard in this part of Shoreham.
Snow
Sleet or snow fell on 4 days during February. Light snow or snow grains fell from late morning until late afternoon on the 7th, and on the 8th light snow or snow grains fell throughout the day. A little snow fell on the morning of the 9th, and light snow showers occurred on the 10th. Lying snow (grassy surfaces more than half covered) was recorded on 2 mornings, the 8th and 9th, but it amounted to little more than a dusting, although a few patches remained until the evening of the 12th.
Wind
Southeasterly winds were dominant during February, accounting for nearly half of the daily observations. Just over a quarter of the days had southwesterly winds, with a similar proportion having winds from the northeast. On many days the wind was gentle or moderate, but during the cold spell, the easterlies were occasionally fresh. At Shoreham Airport, southwesterly gusts reached 32 knots (36 mph) on the evening of the 2nd, and northeasterlies gusted to 36 knots (41 mph) on the evening of the 7th with the temperature just below 0 Celsius (32F). The temperature was also below zero when northeasterly winds gusted to 32 knots (36 mph) on the afternoon of the 9th, but during the rest of the month there were no further gusts above 30 knots (34 mph).
Fog
There was 1 day with fog at the time of the morning observation (0900 UTC), and that was on the 6th. However, there was early fog on the 5th, and the 22nd was foggy for a while in the afternoon. Also, the morning of the 28th was very misty over the hills (viewed from Shoreham Airport).
Statistics for February 2021
| Reporting Site | Highest Temp | Lowest Temp | Rain Total (mm) | Wettest | Rain days |
| Shoreham A/P | 12.3 | -4.3 | 48 | 10 | 16 |
| Thorney Island | 12.0 | -4.4 | 56 | 8 | 19 |
| Gatwick A/P | 14.5 | -5.3 | 53 | 11 | 17 |
| Herstmonceux | 14.2 | -4.2 | 57 | 14 | 15 |
| Bournemouth (Hurn) | 13.7 | -4.7 | 76 | 18 | 20 |
| Middle Wallop | 14.0 | -3.8 | 58 | 10 | 27 |
| Dieppe | 18.9 | -5.3 | 26 | 5 | 15 |