MAIN WEATHER AND CLIMATE TRAITS IN THE NORTHERN HEMISPHERE AS OF FEBRUARY 2026

Air temperature

Cold weather that prevailed in the north of Russia late January became even colder with the beginning of February, covering the entire ETR now. Both there and in the northern Urals, new daily air temperature minima were recorded, the thermometer readings dropping below -40° in the Urals, or below -50° in the west of Yakutia. In the first decade, average air temperature anomalies reached -9° or lower on the Russian Plain. Further on, and until the end of the month, abnormally cold weather with new air temperature minima was observed along the Arctic coast. But in Central Russia, in the southern ETR and Urals, and in the south of Siberia, abnormally warm weather arrived in the second decade with daily air temperature maxima in southern Siberia, and with the decade-averaged temperature anomalies of +2-7° everywhere from the southern Urals to the Amur region or of +2-5° in the south of the ETR. However, everything changed abruptly in the third decade when the Arctic colds descended upon Russia. The decade-averaged air temperature became 8-15° lower than normal in the Urals and in Siberia. The temperatures remained normal in most of the ETR, and 2-6° above normal in the Far East. In Chukotka, Sakhalin, Primorye and the south of the Khabarovsk Territory, new temperature maxima were measured, the latter being new absolute maxima for February in a number of locations.

These variable temperature patterns during the month caused the cold and the warmth to compensate each other, so that the average February temperature in Russia was approximately normal. It was notably below normal in the north, in the central ETR and in the Urals, and above normal, in the Far East and in the North Caucasus. Similar can be said about the winter temperature averages: they were significantly lower than normal in the North-West, Central and Ural Federal Districts (with anomalies of -2…-6°), but higher in the Far-East Federal District (with anomalies of +2…4°). In the rest of the country, the temperature background in winter was roughly normal.

This February, the entire territory of Asia south of Russia received considerably more warmth than normal.

In the east of the continent, namely, in China and Japan as well as on the Korean Peninsula, the monthly-averaged air temperature was 2-3° higher than the normal value. This February was the third warmest in China in the history of meteorological observations, with February 2021 and February 2007 even warmer, and the second warmest in Japan.

The normal air temperature averages in the countries of South-East Asia were exceeded by 1-2°. Similar trends were observed in most of India, while anomalies in neighbouring Pakistan reached +3°. For India and Pakistan, this February was the second warmest in history.

Record-high air temperatures were measured in Central Asia: in Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan, absolute maxima of February temperatures were reported in a number of weather stations, and in Turkmenistan, an air temperature of +36.2° became a new National high for the month. The monthly-averaged air temperatures in this region were 4-8 or more degrees higher than normal.

In the Near and Middle East, new daily maxima of air temperature were recorded in several countries, with the normal monthly averages exceeded by 2-4 or more degrees.

In North Africa, this February was the second warmest in the history of regular meteorological observations, the year 2010 remaining the leader. The monthly-averaged air temperature over a large area was two to three degrees above normal, and four or more degrees above in Niger and Chad.

In Europe, the average February temperature patterns divided the continent in two areas: abnormally cold north and east (anomalies of -2…-4°) and abnormally warm south and south-west (anomalies of +2 or more degrees); this resulted in a roughly normal monthly average across the continent. In the east (the Baltic countries and Belarus), the thermometer readings dropped below -30° on occasional days, and new daily minima were recorded. On the contrary, this February in France was the second warmest in the history of observations.

This month was abnormally warm in the US where the monthly-averaged air temperature was 2-4° above normal in the central and western states, its absolute maximum was reached in Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, Oklahoma and Wyoming, and February was the second warmest on record in Texas and Nebraska. Thereby, February 2026 in the USA hit the top five warmest in the meteorological chronicle. Temperatures below the normal values were observed on the Atlantic coast and in Alaska, the monthly average in the latter state being the same 2-4° lower than normal. Similar colds were acquired in Canada where anomalies of the same range were measured in the north-west of the country. In Canada, abnormal heat was only in the east and south of the country along the US border. Temperature anomalies on the Labrador Peninsula were as high as +2…6°, yet the colds on the Atlantic coast brought several record-breaking temperature minima: the prolonged and strong colds were reported to freeze the parts of the Niagara Falls, and National temperature minimum of 0.0° was recorded in Cuba.

The weather in the Arctic was cold too: the temperature averages were 1.0° below normal for the first time since 2013.

The average temperature in the Northern Hemisphere calculated to an accuracy of 0.1°С was ranked the fourth to sixth highest since 1891.

The winter 2025/26 was of the same rank: it was the warmest on record in China, the second warmest in North Africa, and among the top five warmest in the US, in India, Japan and France. In Alaska, this winter was the coldest in 21st century.

In Moscow, this February was 2.7° colder than normal. The average temperature in winter was close to the normal value.

Sea Surface Temperature

The average SST of the World Ocean in February was the second highest in the history of observations, yielding to the record-breaking 2024 only.

The SST of the Pacific Ocean in the Northern Hemisphere hit the absolute maximum; actually, this was observed in each of the three last winter months. Across almost the entire water body of the Ocean, the SST was above-normal, with the highest SST anomalies (+1…3°) at the equatorial latitudes in the west of the Ocean, and at the temperate latitudes from Japan to North America.

This February, the Atlantic Ocean in the Northern Hemisphere heated to a weaker extent than the Pacific. There, the average SST anomaly was significantly lower, and well below the maximum established in 2024. It should be noted that the average SST of the Atlantic Ocean in the Northern Hemisphere, however high it could be since February 2025, never reached the record highs for the last twelve months. High SST anomalies (+1…2°) were observed in the central part of the Ocean at the sub-tropical and temperate latitudes, and in the north close to Greenland as well as in the Barents Sea and Kara Sea. The SST in the Mediterranean Sea and Black Sea was higher than normal.

Precipitation

February in the Russian Federation was rich in atmospheric moisture, its shortage only experienced by the Arctic territories from Yamal to Chukotka and by the Lower Volga, but the normal value was reached and outreached in other regions. In the Central Federal District, the normal figure was exceeded by 2-4 times in the Ryazan, Kostroma, Yaroslavl, Orel and Kursk Regions; in the Volga Federal District, by two times in the Kirov and Nizhny Novgorod Regions as well as in the Republics of Mary El, Chuvashia, Mordovia, Tatarstan and Udmurtia, and in the Perm Territory. Precipitation of 1.5 or more times the normal value was measured in the entities of the Federation from the remaining Federal Districts.

New daily precipitation maxima were recorded in the Central and Black Earth Regions, in the Volga region, in Siberia and Primorye – mostly, attributed to snow that brought up to 40 mm of atmospheric moisture per day in terms of its water equivalent.

This winter was very snowy in Russia. Snow was lacking in the Arctic region only, from Taimyr to Chukotka, but the precipitation totals elsewhere in Russia were normal or higher than that. Notable precipitation amounts exceeding the normal value by 1.5-2.0 or more times were received by certain areas in Central Russia, in the Volga region, in the Urals and in the Far East.

In China, the weather was mostly dry: normal or above-normal precipitation was received by the north-eastern and south-eastern regions only. The precipitation totals in Japan were close to normal.

The countries of South-East Asia were flooded with rains. There, a month should be considered "exceptionally wet" when the normal rainfall amounts are exceeded by 2-3 or more times – and this was the case. Torrential rains caused local floods, most prominent in Indonesia and on the Island of Java.

The weather in South Asia was dry.

The weather in the Middle East was the same, though; rains were frequent in West Asia, e.g., in Turkey and in Trans-Caucasus.

In Central Asia, a lot of rain fell in Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and southern Kazakhstan where the normal values were exceeded by 1.5-2.0 or more times, and the record-breaking precipitation totals were measured in Uzbekistan. The weather in the rest Central Asia was dry.

In South Africa, the weather was dry as well, with precipitation partially in the north of Algeria and Morocco as well as in the coast of the Gulf of Guinea only.

Precipitation was abundant in Europe, save for Scandinavia and some countries in the east of the continent. Torrential rains in the UK caused massive floods, rains falling incessantly almost each day in some regions. In France, heavy downpours led to floods, raising the water level in the rivers to record highs. This February in France was the rainiest in the history of observations. During the month, a series of storms hit the Pyrenean Peninsula, invoking heavy rains that lead to severe flooding in Spain and Portugal. Up to 400 mm of atmospheric moisture accumulated each day in some places in the south of Spain.

The weather in Canada was dry in the east, but very damp in the west of the country as well as in Alaska where the normal precipitation figures were exceeded by 2-3 or more times in some places. A powerful snowfall descended upon the east coast of the US once again, creating snow cover of a height exceeding the historical maxima from the state of Maryland to the state of Man. Abundant precipitation was also received in the Pacific coast. Besides this, the weather in most of the country was dry, especially in the areas from South Dakota and Nebraska all the way to the east of the north-eastern coast, as well as in Louisiana and Mississippi in the south. This February was the driest in the history of the latter state.

The precipitation total in Moscow in February amounted to 77 mm, or 175% of the normal figure: the third result in the meteorological chronicle of the capital. Precipitation was even more intense in February 1966 and February 2001 only. The total winter amount was 244 mm, which is the second largest value in the history of Moscow winters, yielding to winter 1966 only.