February

February is the second month of the Gregorian calendar, the most widely used calendar in the world today. It is the only month with fewer than 30 days: it has 28 days in common years and 29 days in leap years.

The month comes after January and precedes March. The name derives from the Latin "Februarius," linked to periods of purification and cleansing in ancient Rome. February does not appear in the Islamic calendar or other lunar calendars; it belongs only to the solar calendar.

Day count and leap years

A Gregorian year contains 365 days, but Earth's orbit around the sun is slightly longer. To correct this discrepancy, an extra day—29 February—is added to certain years. The general rule: a year is a leap year if divisible by 4, except for century years (divisible by 100), which are leap years only if also divisible by 400. Thus 2000 was a leap year, while 1900 was not.

Climate periods

In the Northern Hemisphere, February occurs at the end of winter, while the Southern Hemisphere experiences summer. In Somalia and the Horn of Africa generally, February typically falls within the cool dry season: light rainfall, rising temperatures, and diminishing winds ahead of the gu season, which begins in March or April.

Calendar features and uses

Because of its brevity, February has a distinctive calendar feature: in common years it comprises exactly four full weeks, which means the weekdays of February and March align. In financial and statistical accounting, the shortness of February can affect month-to-month comparisons, which accountants often address by dividing figures daily.