Record rainfall for Peterborough in February as winter washout continues

Peterborough seems to have been hit with a winter washout, with rain appearing almost every day in the city.

Grey clouds, flooded fields and umbrellas have been the most common sight in the city so far in 2024.

In January, The Peterborough Telegraph reported how the wet weather throughout the start of the winter was impacting farmers across the region – and since then, the rain has hardly stopped.

So perhaps it will be no surprise to hear that February has broken weather records in our city.

Trevor Robbins-Pratt, from Peterborough Weather Watch, said: “I have measured that we have had more than 130mm rainfall so far this month. My previous February record was 91.8mm in 2020 (My data goes back to 2006). The February average is 41mm.”

Trevor said the reason for the remarkable amount of rain we have had is to do with conditions thousands of miles away.

He said: “In basic terms, the reason we have had so much rain is that warm air from Southern hemisphere moving North East, meeting colder air from the North, generating frontogenenesis, i.e, warm and cold fronts.

"The amount of precipitable water(PWAT) in the upper atmosphere is enhanced by Jet Stream engagement, resulting in rain, and lots if it.”

The good news from the Met Office forecast is that for the rest of February Peterborough looks to remain dry – but as we have seen, there is always the chance that more rain could arrive in the city.