January 2024 was colder and a little drier than usual and the average maximum temperature of 7.0°C was 1.1°C below the Usk average for January of 8.1°C. The minimum temperature sank below 0°C on eight days. The warmest day was the 23rd (max = 11.8°C) and the coldest was the 17th with a maximum of 1.4°C.
The measured rainfall was 104.0 mm, 82% of the Usk* average for January of 127.6 mm. Rain was measured on 12 days in the month, the wettest being the 21st when 38.2 mm fell. There was a period of 15 consecutive days without rain between the 5th and the 19th inclusive.
February 2024 was much warmer than usual and was much wetter than usual also, being the third warmest and third wettest February since records began in April 2011. The month had two frosty mornings, the coldest overnight being -0.9°C on the 24th. Overall, the average maximum temperature of 9.8°C was 1.3°C above the Usk average for February of 8.5°C with a maximum of 14.7°C on the 18th.
The average minimum temperature was high at 4.4°C and this brought the average temperature for the month up to 7.2°C overall, the warmest since records began in 2011.
There were 12 days on which no significant rain (0.2 mm or less) fell, and a total monthly rainfall of 168.6 mm was 93% above the Usk* average for February of 87.4 mm. The wettest day was the 6th with 19.2 mm.
Overall, the Met Office declared the month to be the warmest on record in Wales, with a national average of 6.9°C, slightly below the Penallt figure.
Welsh rainfall nationally was 71% above normal with much of South Wales being 100% or more above.
March 2024 was colder and much wetter than usual. Overall, the average maximum temperature of 10.4°C was 0.7°C below the Usk average for March of 11.1°C.
The coldest by day was the 2nd, with a maximum of 2.3°C, and the warmest was the 20th with a maximum of 15.0°C. There were no days when the minimum fell below zero.
There were 20 days on which rain fell (>0.2 mm), the wettest being the 27th with 18.4 mm. The total rainfall of 162.6 mm was 96% above the Usk* average for March of 83.1 mm. This made it the second wettest March in Penallt since records began in 2011, with 2018 being the wettest (170.8 mm). This is nowhere near as high as the 302.1 mm recorded in Penallt in January 2014 however.
April 2024 was wetter and much cooler than usual.
Overall, the average maximum temperature of 12.7°C was 1.3°C below the Usk average for April of 14.0°C with a peak of 18.4°C on the 12th. The minimum temperature was 0.2°C on the 20th and there were no days of air frost.
There were 11 days when no rain (or a trace) fell, the wettest day being 5th when 9.6 mm fell. It was considerably wetter than usual overall with the total rainfall of 107.8 mm being 60% above the Usk* average for April of 67.5 mm.
The total rainfall for the first four months of 2024 has been 49% above normal.
May 2024 was much wetter than usual despite there being 16 days on which no significant rain fell. The total rainfall of 117.6 mm was 64% above the Usk* average for May of 71.5 mm. Nearly half of this fell on just two days, the 22nd (18.8 mm) and the 13th (38.4 mm).
This makes four months in a row where rainfall has been significantly above average and the total rainfall for 2024 so far (5 months) is already 61% of the yearly average.
Maximum temperatures exceeded 20°C on 9 days with a high of 24.1°C on the 12th. But there were many cool days too, with the 3rd only reaching 10.2°C. Overall, the average maximum temperature of 17.7°C was 0.2°C above the Usk average for May of 17.5°C.
Remarkably, the average minimum temperature during May was 9.2°C, some 2.5°C above the Usk average of 6.7°C, following the trend set in the previous three months which all had significantly higher average minimums than usual.
June 2024 was exceptionally cool and was much drier than usual too.
The average maximum temperature of 18.6°C was 1.7°C below the Usk* average for June of 20.3°C, this being boosted by a mini heatwave (23rd to 26th) with a maximum of 27.7°C on the 26th.
June had only 1 very wet day (> 10mm) and the Penallt total rainfall was 33.0 mm, 55% of the Usk* June average of 60.2 mm. The wettest day was the 14th, with a fall of 10.4 mm. There were 21 days in the month when no measurable rain fell too. Overall, this was the fourth driest June on record in Penallt, the driest being 2018 when 16.0 mm were recorded.
July 2024 was cooler and a little wetter than usual. The total rainfall of 73.6 mm was 18% above the Usk* average for July of 62.6 mm. There were 18 days on which no measurable rain fell.
The average maximum temperature of 20.7 °C was 1.6 °C below the Usk average for July of 22.3 °C; there were five days when the temperature rose above 25 °C, the 18th and 19th and a mini heat wave at the end of the month culminating in the hottest day of the year on the 31st (28.4°C). The coldest day was the 15th (max of 15.8 °C).
August 2024 was cool and of roughly average rainfall. The total rainfall of 67.8 mm was 92% of the Usk* average for August of 73.9 mm and there were only 14 days on which no significant rain (>0.2 mm) fell. The wettest day was the 1st when 24.6 mm fell.
The average maximum temperature of 20.9 °C was 1.2 °C below the Usk average for August of 22.1 °C. The warmest day was the 1st (27.2 °C), one of only two days on which the temperature reached 25 °C.
September 2024 was the coldest and wettest since records began in 2011. The total rainfall was 216.0 mm, 2.67 times the Usk* average for September of 81.2 mm. There were 11 dry days (rainfall of 0.2 mm or below). The wettest day was the 23rd, when 25.8 mm fell and there were 4 other days when the rainfall exceeded 20 mm.
By contrast with the 2023 September and its mini-heatwave (29.2°C peak), there were only three days when the temperature exceeded 20 °C. Overall, the mean maximum temperature of 16.5°C was 2.7 °C below the Usk average for September of 19.2°C. The highest was 21.6°C on the 2nd and the lowest of 12.4°C occurred on the 27th. Night time minima were actually a little above average (9.8°C as opposed to 9.1°C), probably due to the preponderance of cloudy conditions.
Click the button below for an Excel file giving daily data for 2024:-
* Usk is the nearest Met Office station for which long term averages (1981-2010) are available.