Isle of Man records wettest February for 40 years – BBC News

The Isle of Man recorded its wettest February in 40 years and the windiest since 1990, according to the Met Office.

Figures show a total 114.5mm of rain fell last month, double the average, and the highest since 1980.

February was also the windiest in 30 years with the island recording gales on 10 of the 29 days.

The wet weather has had an adverse impact on some of the island’s farmers due to waterlogged fields.

Vegetable farmer Stuart Allanson said the wet winter weather followed a wet autumn and some crops were now a “write-off”.

He said he has had to “harvest carrots by hand” as the ground was too wet for machinery.

But there had been an “increased demand for Manx produce” as local farms “fill the gap” when the boat does not sail, he added.

The impact of Storms Ciara, Dennis and Jorge meant there were just two days in Feburary with no rain at all, said Ronaldsway Met Office.

And on 26 days, the island recorded winds of force six and above with a monthly average wind speed of 23.5mph.

The windy conditions disrupted ferry sailings, which the island relies on for importing food.

The higher than average rain and wind was caused by “a string of storms” driven on a “powerful jet stream”, the RMO said.

Despite the stormy conditions, the mean monthly temperature was almost a degree above average at 6.6°C and there were 87 hours of sunshine, 11% more than usual.

Source: bbc.com