2020: A year of remarkable weather in the Midlands

  • Shrewsbury flooding in February 2020.

2020 has been hailed as a "truly remarkable" weather year after featuring the sunniest spring and the wettest February on record.

The Met Office said the UK's "year of extremes" was on course to be the third or fourth warmest year on record, and to be in the top 10 for both rainfall and sunshine.

Storm Dennis caused 10 severe flood warnings to be put in place at one point across England and Wales, and warnings of continued problems amid a forecast of more heavy rain that month.

The River Severn in Shrewbury reached its highest level in 20 years back in February as the Environment Agency warned that lives are at risk in the town.

  • Stoney Stanton also saw mass flooding in February 2020.

In its round-up of the year, the Met Office said: "The most noteworthy winter month was February, due to a rapid succession of named storms, rainfall totals were well above normal virtually everywhere, with many places getting more than three times their expected average.

"It was the wettest February on record (records back to 1862) with the UK recording 237% of its average rainfall. It was also the fifth wettest of any calendar month on record."

Dr Mark McCarthy, head of the Met Office's National Climate Information Centre,said: "In just over a decade we have now seen the UK's wettest February (2020), April (2012), June (2012), November (2009) and December (2015), remarkably new national records in five out of 12 months."

A massive contrast to the summer heatwave which saw highs of up to 29 degrees in some parts of the Midlands.

  • Stratford-upon-Avon June 2020.

All four UK countries recorded their sunniest spring, as judged by Met Office records dating back to 1919, with only three summers (1976, 1989 and 1995) recording more hours of sun.

Dr McCarthy added: "In climate statistics, 2019 will be remembered for the UK's hottest day, whereas 2020 will be associated with rainfall records."

Met Office presenter Alex Deakin said: "2020 will be remembered for many, many things and the weather should be one of them. There are still a couple of days to go so we don't know exactly where 2020 will sit."