Wales weather: Why has there been so much rain and hail?

People had to shelter at Bodnant Gardens in the Conwy Valley during a hailstorm

To say that May has been a wash-out would be an understatement.

At just past the month's half-way point, Wales has already endured 157% of its average monthly rainfall, according to the Met Office.

This compares starkly with May 2020, which was the driest in 110 years, prompting Natural Resources Wales (NRW) to urge people not to waste water.

That is a far cry from the country's current rainy spell, which forecasters believe will last until June.

The Met Office's long-range forecast for Saturday 29 May to Saturday 12 June says "it is likely for conditions to remain changeable with showers at first, but probably becoming more settled".

• Skiers 'giddy' to take advantage of snow in May

• How unusual is snow in May?

This view is mirrored by BBC Wales weather presenter Behnaz Akhgar.

But she said as May marked the transition between spring and summer it meant the weather could often be interchangeable.

Hailstorms 'more likely' in May

Ms Akhgar explained that traditionally May was one of the driest months of the year but this "can vary year on year".

The current wet spell has been caused by the jet stream sitting "below the British Isles" which is "allowing low pressure systems to come in from the Atlantic".

"Once the jet stream moves northwards we will have warm, more settled conditions coming up from the south," she added.

Despite May's common association with "warmer weather and longer days" this is not an altogether accurate picture, she said.

"You can still have pretty severe weather and hailstorms are more likely than any other time of the year," she explained.

"So it's technically the peak of severe conditions as the cold air from the north clashes with warm, humid air."

Hail covered the streets in Bala, Gwynedd earlier in the month

This has caused the hailstorms and torrential rain which have battered much of Wales over recent days.

And unfortunately for many hoping to enjoy relaxing outside over the weekend, the weather looks set to stay.

Ms Akhgar revealed "the rest of May is looking unsettled with more showers or longer spells of rain and things are staying on the cool side".

The only silver lining may come from 24 May onwards, when Wales could see "settled conditions across the south".

She added: "I am hoping we are going to get all the rain out of the way now so we can have a dry and sunny summer."

Llyr Jones says the weather has been very changeable this May

Hydroelectric 'flat out'

Llyr Jones runs a farm in Corwen, Denbighshire and was caught in a hailstorm on Sunday while working on the land.

The 42-year-old told BBC Wales it left everywhere "totally white" - only to melt and be replaced by bright sunshine a day later.

"It was the worst I've seen in a long time," he said.

The hailstorm hit Mr Jones' farm on Sunday

"May is always a difficult month for farmers because you can get a really dry May and the grass ends up burning.

"This year it's been wet, unlike April which was really dry.

"We generate our own power with hydroelectricity and at the moment it's absolutely flat out - it can't produce any more electricity.