This report describes the typical weather at the Mount Pleasant Royal Air Force Base (Falkland Islands) weather station over the course of an average February. It is based on the historical records from 1999 to 2012. Earlier records are either unavailable or unreliable.
Falkland Islands has a polar tundra climate. The area within 25 mi of this station is covered by tundra (57%), oceans and seas (40%), and grasslands (2%).
The month of February is characterized by essentially constant daily high temperatures, with daily highs around 59°F throughout the month, exceeding 67°F or dropping below 50°F only one day in ten.
Over the course of February, the length of the day is rapidly decreasing. From the start to the end of the month, the length of the day decreases by 1:50 hours, implying an average day-over-day decrease of 3.8 minutes.
The shortest day of the month is February 29 with 13:28 hours of daylight; the longest day is February 1 with 15:18 hours of daylight.
The earliest sunrise is at 5:28am on February 1; the latest sunset is at 8:46pm on February 1; the latest sunrise is at 6:21am on February 29; the earliest sunset is at 7:50pm on February 29.
Daylight savings time (DST) is not observed in 2012.
The median cloud cover is 82% (mostly cloudy) and does not vary substantially over the course of the month.
On February 15, a representative day, the sky is clear or mostly clear 20% of the time, partly cloudy 16% of the time, and mostly cloudy or overcast 58% of the time.
The average probability that some form of precipitation will be observed in a given day is 73%, with little variation over the course of the month.
Throughout February, the most common forms of precipitation are moderate rain and light rain.
Moderate rain is the most severe precipitation observed during 52% of those days with precipitation. It is most likely around February 23, when it is observed during 39% of all days.
Light rain is the most severe precipitation observed during 32% of those days with precipitation. It is most likely around February 2, when it is observed during 26% of all days.
The likelihood of snow falling is highest around February 29, occurring in 4% of days.
Either snow rarely accumulates at this location in February or snow depth measurements are unavailable or unreliable.
The relative humidity typically ranges from 50% (mildly humid) to 94% (very humid) over the course of a typical February, rarely dropping below 36% (comfortable) and reaching as high as 100% (very humid).
The air is driest around February 1, at which time the relative humidity drops below 58% (mildly humid) three days out of four; it is most humid around February 6, rising above 92% (very humid) three days out of four.
Dew point is often a better measure of how comfortable a person will find the weather than relative humidity because it more directly relates to whether perspiration will evaporate from the skin, thereby cooling the body. Lower dew points feel drier and higher dew points feel more humid.
Over the course of a typical February, the dew point typically varies from 36°F (dry) to 48°F (dry) and is rarely below 31°F (dry) or above 54°F (very comfortable).
Over the course of February typical wind speeds vary from 5 mph to 29 mph (light breeze to strong breeze), rarely exceeding 38 mph (gale).
The highest average wind speed of 18 mph (fresh breeze) occurs around February 3, at which time the average daily maximum wind speed is 29 mph (strong breeze).
The lowest average wind speed of 16 mph (moderate breeze) occurs around February 24, at which time the average daily maximum wind speed is 26 mph (strong breeze).