Hardly any UK towns wake to more frost than Rhayader
The warmest part of a July day comes in at 18.8°C (66°F) on average. Rain is plentiful here, more than falls on 96% of UK towns. December is the wettest month, July the driest. Keep the boiler serviced for the months from October to May, which average under 10°C.
Met Office 1991–2020 averages for the town itself.
A year in Rhayader at a glance
Each month’s typical high and low, in °C.
What a year in Rhayader feels like
Typical highs and lows by season and by month, from the Met Office’s 1991–2020 averages.
About 1,453 mm of rain a year
December is the wettest month and July the driest. About 41 days a year bring 10 mm (0.4 in) or more.
Rain by month
Millimetres
Sunshine by month
Hours of bright sunshine at Aberporth
A frosty town: 63 air frosts and 5 days of 25°C a year
On about 63 nights a year the air drops below freezing, and on about 1 days it stays below freezing all day. About 5 days a year reach 25°C (77°F).
Day counts are 1991–2020 averages from the Met Office’s 2 km grid. The Met Office calls a day of 25°C or more a summer day and a night below 0°C an air frost; ground frosts, on grass, come more often.
The Met Office station at Aberporth
Aberporth is 47 miles west of Rhayader, 133 m (436 ft) above sea level. It is the nearest of the 37 long-running stations the Met Office publishes in full; at that distance read it for sunshine and the station’s own record, not as the town’s figures.
| Month | High | Low | Rain | Air frosts | Sun (hours) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 7.8°C | 3.4°C | 90 mm | 4.5 | 60 |
| February | 7.9°C | 3.3°C | 67 mm | 3.8 | 79 |
| March | 9.4°C | 4.2°C | 58 mm | 1.8 | 127 |
| April | 11.6°C | 5.7°C | 54 mm | 0.4 | 172 |
| May | 14.3°C | 8.2°C | 55 mm | 0.0 | 210 |
| June | 16.6°C | 10.7°C | 64 mm | 0.0 | 203 |
| July | 18.3°C | 12.5°C | 67 mm | 0.0 | 187 |
| August | 18.3°C | 12.7°C | 75 mm | 0.0 | 169 |
| September | 16.7°C | 11.2°C | 71 mm | 0.0 | 141 |
| October | 13.6°C | 8.9°C | 107 mm | 0.0 | 99 |
| November | 10.5°C | 6.2°C | 117 mm | 0.6 | 59 |
| December | 8.5°C | 4.1°C | 107 mm | 3.5 | 49 |
| Year | 12.8°C | 7.6°C | 931 mm | 15 | 1,554 |
Met Office historic station data, Aberporth, 1991–2020 months averaged (a month needs 20 of the 30 years; estimated values counted, missing months left out). Sunshine: Kipp & Zonen recorder.
How Rhayader compares
Against the 2,537 towns and cities of 2,500 or more across the UK, each with its own Met Office averages, and its place among Powys towns that size.
Nearby towns’ climate
The nearest towns of 1,000+ within 12 miles: a hill, a valley or the sea can make a real difference over a few miles.
| Town | July high | January low | Rain a year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rhayader | 18.8°C | 1.0°C | 1,453 mm |
| Llandrindod Wells 7.0 mi | 20.7°C 1.9°C warmer | 1.0°C about the same | 1,089 mm |
| Llanidloes 10.0 mi | 19.2°C about the same | 1.1°C about the same | 1,472 mm |
| Builth Wells 11.6 mi | 20.5°C 1.7°C warmer | 1.5°C about the same | 1,121 mm |
Rhayader weather by month
Average daily high and low, mean temperature and rain, 1991–2020, for the town itself (the Met Office’s HadUK-Grid).
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Rain |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 6.7°C 44°F | 1.0°C 34°F | 4.0°C | 137 mm 5.4 in |
| February | 6.5°C 44°F | 0.3°C 33°F | 3.3°C | 142 mm 5.6 in |
| March | 8.6°C 47°F | 1.3°C 34°F | 4.8°C | 124 mm 4.9 in |
| April | 11.5°C 53°F | 2.9°C 37°F | 7.2°C | 90 mm 3.5 in |
| May | 14.6°C 58°F | 5.2°C 41°F | 9.8°C | 83 mm 3.3 in |
| June | 17.3°C 63°F | 7.9°C 46°F | 12.6°C | 102 mm 4.0 in |
| July | 18.8°C 66°F | 9.5°C 49°F | 14.3°C | 80 mm 3.1 in |
| August | 18.5°C 65°F | 9.7°C 49°F | 14.2°C | 93 mm 3.7 in |
| September | 16.3°C 61°F | 8.0°C 46°F | 12.1°C | 98 mm 3.9 in |
| October | 12.3°C 54°F | 5.1°C 41°F | 8.7°C | 152 mm 6.0 in |
| November | 8.9°C 48°F | 2.6°C 37°F | 5.6°C | 155 mm 6.1 in |
| December | 6.7°C 44°F | 0.7°C 33°F | 3.8°C | 197 mm 7.8 in |
| Year | 12.2°C | 4.5°C | 8.4°C | 1,453 mm |
Where Rhayader’s numbers come from
Averages over 30 years, not a forecast.
- Mean temperature, rain and day counts: HadUK-Grid 1991–2020 averages for the 1 Met Office 2 km grid square whose centre lies inside Rhayader’s built-up area.
- Highs and lows: the Met Office publishes average daily maxima and minima on its 12 km grid; each is moved by the difference between the town’s 2 km mean temperature and the 12 km square’s, which carries the town’s own height and setting over.
- Weather station and sunshine: Met Office historic station data for Aberporth, 47 miles away, months of 1991–2020 averaged.
- Comparisons: every town and city of 2,500 or more across the UK, all four nations, read the same way.
Met Office HadUK-Grid · Met Office Climate Data Portal · Historic station data. Open Government Licence v3.0.
Questions about Rhayader’s climate
How warm does Rhayader get in summer?
July is the warmest month, with average highs of 18.8°C (66°F). About 5 days a year reach 25°C (77°F), fewer than 74% of UK towns.
How cold does Rhayader get in winter?
February nights average 0.3°C (33°F). The air drops below freezing on about 63 nights a year, and about 1 days a year stay below freezing all day.
How much rain does Rhayader get?
About 1,453 mm (57 in) a year, more than 96% of UK towns. December is the wettest month (197 mm) and July the driest (80 mm).
How sunny is it?
The nearest Met Office station with a sunshine record, Aberporth (47 miles away), averages 1,554 hours of bright sunshine a year. Sunshine isn’t on the town grid, so this is the station’s figure.
Where do these figures come from?
The Met Office’s HadUK-Grid 1991–2020 averages, which turn thousands of weather stations into a map of the UK in 2 km squares; the page reads the squares inside Rhayader. They are 30-year averages, not a forecast.
Contains Met Office data © Crown copyright 2026, Open Government Licence v3.0. HadUK-Grid 1991–2020 averages via the Met Office Climate Data Portal; station averages from Met Office historic station data. Today’s forecast for Rhayader →
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Contains HM Land Registry data © Crown copyright and database right 2026. Contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right 2026 (ONS boundaries). Northern Ireland: Source: NISRA; contains Land & Property Services data and Ordnance Survey of Northern Ireland information, © Crown copyright, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Scotland: contains National Records of Scotland data, Registers of Scotland data and SEPA data, © Crown copyright / © SEPA 2025, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.