Plymouth has a temperate oceanic climate (Köppen "Cfb") which is wetter and milder than the rest of England. This means a wide range of exotic plants and palm trees and yuccas can be cultivated. The annual mean high temperature is approximately . Due to the moderating effect of the sea and the southwesterly location, the climate is among the mildest of British cities, and one of the warmest UK cities in winter the UK met office predicts the Devon and Cornwall region will become the hottest in the uk in the future with the warmest months, July and August, having mean daily maxima over . The coldest month of February is similarly moderate, having mild mean minimum temperatures between . Snow is extremely rare, usually no more than a few flakes when it occurs, but a noteworthy recent exception was the period of the European winter storms of 2009-10 which, in early January 2010, covered Plymouth in at least of snow; more on higher ground. Another notable event was the of snowfall between 17 and 19 December 2010 – though only would lie at any one time due to melting. Over the 1961–1990 period, annual snowfall accumulation averaged less than per year.