January 2021 was colder and drier than usual and the average maximum temperature of 5.9°C was 2.2°C below the Usk average for January of 8.1°C. The minimum temperature sank below 0°C on thirteen days. The warmest day was the 28th (max = 11.7°C) and the coldest was the 7th with a low of -4.7°C and snow lay on the ground for several days too.
The measured rainfall was 93.6 mm, 73% of the Usk* average for January of 127.6 mm. Rain was measured (> 0.2 mm) on 15 days in the month, the wettest being the 20th when 27.4 mm fell. Most of the rain fell during the last third of the month giving a wet end to January.
February 2021 was colder than usual, and was wetter than usual also. Overall, the average maximum temperature of 7.5°C was 1.0°C below the Usk average for February of 8.5°C with a maximum of 13.8°C on the 24th. There were 9 frosty mornings overall.
There were 12 days on which no significant rain (0.2 mm or less) fell, and a total monthly rainfall of 112.6 mm was 29% above the Usk* average for February of 87.4 mm. The wettest day was the 20th with 25.0 mm.
The month contained a cold snap between the 6th and the 13th during which the mean temperature was sub-zero on 6 consecutive days (8 – 13 inclusive), immediately followed by a warm and wet period of 9 days in which rain fell on each one (total 82.6 mm). The month ended with a fine and dry spell.
The Met Office reports that this has been the wettest February since records began. But this is an overall statistic and conditions in Penallt may be different. For example, February 2014 saw 266.9 mm fall in Penallt.
Records began here in April 2011 and we have experienced five wetter months since then, with an all-time record of 302.1 mm in January 2014.
March 2021 was a little cooler and much drier than usual. Overall, the average maximum temperature of 10.9°C was 0.2°C below the Usk average for March of 11.1°C.
The coldest by day was the 2nd, with a maximum of 5.0°C, and the warmest was the 31st with a maximum of 21.4°C, easily the warmest March day since Penallt records began. The previous high was 19.6°C on March 28th 2012.
There were only 9 days on which rain fell (>0.2 mm), the wettest being the 12th with 13.6 mm. The total rainfall of 45.6 mm was 55% of the Usk* average for March of 83.1 mm.
April 2021 was heading to be the driest month since Penallt records began in 2011 but two rain days on the 28th and 30th prevented that. The month was still much drier than usual and was cooler too with air coming predominantly from the north. A run of 17 days with no significant rain qualified as drought conditions.
Overall, the average maximum temperature of 12.2°C was 1.8°C below the Usk average for April of 14.0°C with a peak of 17.6°C on the 20th and 23rd. The minimum temperature was -1.8°C on the 7th and there were 9 days of air frost.
There were 26 days when no rain (or a trace) fell, the wettest day being 28th when 10.6 mm fell. It was drier than usual overall with the total rainfall of 21.2 mm being 31% of the Usk* average for April of 67.5 mm.
May 2021 was the wettest May on record in Wales and was definitely the wettest May in Penallt since records began in mid-March 2011. The month saw 22 days on which significant rain fell (last May, the number was 2!). The total rainfall of 185.4 mm was 159% higher than the Usk* average for May of 71.5 mm.
Maximum temperatures exceeded 20°C on 1 day (last year it was 14!) with a high of 21.9°C on the 31st. May was a very cool and dull month overall, and the average maximum temperature of 14.8°C was 2.7°C below the Usk average for May of 17.5°C.
June 2021 began and finished with warm and dry weather and the month was a little warmer and a good deal drier than usual too too.
The average maximum temperature of 20.5°C was 0.2°C above the Usk* average for June of 20.3°C and there were 16 days when 20°C was exceeded. The maximum was 26.2°C on the 13th.
June had no very wet days (> 10mm) and the Penallt total rainfall was 30.2 mm, 50% of the Usk* June average of 60.2 mm. The wettest day was the 19th, with a fall of 6.4 mm. There were 19 days in the month when no measurable rain fell too.
July 2021 was warm and wetter than usual, but included a heat-wave in the middle. The total rainfall of 84.2 mm was 34% above the Usk* average for July of 62.6 mm, with much falling on the 30th when 23.0 mm fell. There were 16 days on which no measurable rain fell.
The average maximum temperature of 23.0 °C was 0.7 °C above the Usk average for July of 22.3 °C; there were nine days when the temperature exceeded 25 °C, the warmest being 30.5 °C on the 20th. Nights were particularly warm overall, with a mean minimum of 13.8 °C being 2.3 °C above usual.
August 2021 was a much colder than usual but, at the same time, was also significantly below average in terms of rainfall. The total rainfall of 48.2 mm was 65% of the Usk* average for August of 73.9 mm and there were 18 days on which no significant rain (>0.2 mm) fell. The wettest day was the 21st when 11.4 mm fell.
The average maximum temperature of 19.8 °C was 2.3 °C below the Usk average for August of 22.1 °C. The warmest day was the 14th (only 23.4 °C) and there were 15 days on which the temperature reached 20 °C.
September 2021 had two settled and warm spells, lasting for 8 days and 12 days respectively. It ended with unsettled, wet and cool conditions. It was drier than usual overall, the total rainfall being 64.6 mm, 80% of the Usk* average for September of 81.2 mm. There were 20 dry days (rainfall of 0.2 mm or below). The wettest day was the 28th, when 21.2 mm fell.
The month was a little warmer than average, with the mean maximum temperature of 20.0 °C being 0.8 °C above the Usk average for September of 19.2 °C. The highest was 28.1 °C on the 14th and the lowest of 14.1 °C occurred on the 29th. The temperature exceeded 20 °C on 12 occasions.
October 2021 was wetter than usual but, overall, temperatures were as expected. The average maximum temperature of 14.9°C was 0.1°C under the Usk average for October of 15.0°C.
There was a prolonged dry period between the 6th and the 16th when no measurable rain fell and there were 14 days on which no significant rain was recorded overall. However, 80.2 mm fell on the last four days of the month and the total rainfall of 156.4 mm was 24% above the Usk* average for October of 126.3 mm. The wettest day was the 31st when 29.8mm rain was recorded.
November 2021 was a little cooler and very much drier than usual. The average maximum temperature of 10.3°C was 0.7°C below the Usk average for November of 11.0°C. The air temperature dropped below zero on the 28th and 29th, with a minimum of -1.3°C on the latter. Maximum temperatures ranged between 13.4°C on the 18th and 4.9°C on the 27th.
No measurable rain was recorded on 21 days and there were no days when over 10 mm was recorded, the wettest being the 12th when 4.8 mm fell. The total rainfall of 15.2 mm was 13% of the Usk* average for November of 113.7 mm.
December 2021 was a little warmer than usual and had below average rainfall at the same time. The average maximum temperature of 8.8°C was 0.4°C above the Usk average for December of 8.4°C. The maximum temperature exceeded 10°C on 12 days and there were 3 days of air frost too.
There were 12 days when no significant rain was recorded (<0.2 mm), all of these being in the first 21 days of the month. The last few days were wetter and these brought the total rainfall up to 81.6 mm, was 67% of the Usk* average for December of 121.9 mm.
Click the button below for an Excel file giving daily data for 2021:-
* Usk is the nearest Met Office station for which long term averages (1981-2010) are available.