26th Feb 2008

Well I've been surfing nearly everyday but the last couple of weeks haven't been anything special. I've no complaints though as the surf has mostly been joined by sunshine and an hour of sun at this time of year does as much for me as a surf.

Last Friday saw the 2 week sunny and dry spell (another January record!) broken by a steady drizzle and as Murphy's Law would have it it was also the day we had also arranged to interview John Powell otherwise known as the Gower Weatherman. He's been monitoring the weather from his place on Gower for 47 years. All the information he collates then goes to the MET office. He also does the weather report for local radio. 

He confirmed what all the papers have said and what we all noticed that January was the mildest on record. On the 10th it didn't drop below 10.3 degrees all night - exceptionally warm. On average Gower was 2 degrees above normal all January.  It might not seem like much but the flora and fauna notice changes in temperature a lot more than us and it will have knock on affects that we wont even realise.

I remember last winter being really warm and if this winter has been even warmer again I'm wondering what next year will bring?

 I'd be interested to see if there have been any changes in patterns of ocean storms in the North Atlantic over the last few years too, not just as a surfer but as someone who lives in an area of coastal flooding. This is one of the other predictions for global warming. So if you know or are some one who has access or knows where we might get this type of information please get in touch.

Well the wind's dropped and there's a decent swell on the buoys so I'm off for an early night and I'm not sure if I'll notice those extra 2 degrees at six in the morning it is still winter for me this week!