Wildswimmer Pete

Three water temps recorded over my camping weekend: Irish Sea, Abergele, 20C (tide had come in over warm sands) - the top end of what I'd usually expect. Llyn Brenig 18C. Bandit swim in Dwr Cymru reservoir but we weren't caught by the warden. Llyn Tegid (Bala) 19C. A little low, should be around 21C as it was last summer. Didn't use my accurate glass thermo as it could've been broken amongst my kit. My watch reads about 1C above ambient because my skin temp is slightly higher than the surrounding water. Upper pic is at Abergele, the lower is from Bala. Don't know where the Brenig one has gone.

Looking at the jet stream forecast, was that feature in the last week what looks like a juicy Bartlett?

But you didn't have to go to work on two wheels in dark, icy mornings? No matter what we do to the clock, we still have only around eight hours of daylight around the winter solstice. Bear in mind that under GMT, schoolkids go to school in the light, and leave school in the light (or did before the days of the "school run" but that's another can of worms).

..............as was done between 1968 and '71, an unmitigated disaster. Going to work I had to pick my way along dark lanes often covered with patchy black ice on a motorbike because my start time was 8:30am and it was still dark. Under GMT the sun had already risen and started work on any black ice. The road accident rate shot up due to the number of schoolkids knocked down by dozy drivers not fully awake.

Yesterday evening I had to put the lights on my bike at 9pm when I rode home back from the recreation centre. Oh well, that's it over for another year.

I actually lived through those times and my remarks are based on my impressions at the time. During a previous part of my misbegotten life I was involved in research and actually collected raw data. I saw at first hand how stats can be manipulated to suit the requirements of a sponsor. My recollections of the 1950s and '60s are extremely keen - there's a reason for that. That's why sunshine stats are meaningless - most of this sad excuse for a summer has been overcast with any sunshine recorded occurring in the small hours when the majority are asleep.

Sixties school holidays were mixed. 1962 was a shocker, as bad as '15 and this summer. '63 was not quite as bad but still awful. I left school in '67 but I still remember the period of the school holidays - '68 was thundery while '69 wasn't very good - we were forced to abandon a holiday in North Wales due to very poor weather. '63 I vividly remember because my school holidays were marred by persistent overcast if not actually wet (as with this summer) while the very last weekend was spectacularly vile with driving rain very cold. I went back to school that Monday (2nd September) to cloudless blue skies. Bear in mind that until 1967 the Bank Holiday was at the beginning of August.

Hopefully it's sunny intervals and 23C where we'll be camping in North Wales on Saturday

Cloudy first thing with a heavy shower during the morning. Sunny intervals this afternoon but still breezy and at only 19C not really warm enough for sunbathing. Hopefully that promised 23C for Saturday is still on the books.

I'm only 20 miles from you and yes, there is a noticeable difference. Wind direction has changed and I suspect we are now under the influence of Polar Maritime air. Not particularly chilly overnight, my minimum was 15C however currently I'm seeing only 19C at the warmest part of the day - Liverpool ATIS is reporting 19C with a DP 13C.

Problem is, when you reach my age you mightn't live long enough to see the next summer, that's why this current run of lousy summers saddens me. If we are actually entering a Grand Minimum the next run of decent summers could be 20-30 years down the road.

Looks like I'll be camping over the weekend not too far from you (St. Asaph) so hopefully that 23C forecast actually materialises. We've got planned swims in a lake (don't know which) and the sea (the latter I suspect at Abergele).

Our summers are far more cloudier that previous, with the now semi-permanent infill between 8am-8pm. Check my reply to your post in the Model thread. Summers during the mid-1980s were showery and sometimes wet due to similar procession of lows, however the skies cleared after the low passed giving a day or so of fine weather before the arrival of the next one. Nowadays there's no clearance, the overcast persists.

Here's the chart. That blob of green snot is the mortal remains of Hurricane Charley however it didn't crawl into its grave, instead it "bombed" just as it approached the British Isles. The result? Driving, very cold rain, gales and very dark all day. If I remember correctly, we just about made 48F (9C) - I was moaning at the time about experiencing such low daytime temps for summer. All of summer '86 was very showery however there were a few fine days during the continual procession of lows.

Would that anomaly be linked with our "cold blob" in the nearby North Atlantic?

Well, my take on today's conditions are as expressed in my post on the North West Regional thread: "What I thought was going to become another cloudfest turned out to be half-decent with long sunny intervals. However come lunchtime the wind got up and currently blowing an F7 gale - the trees themselves here are in motion with the trunks moving slightly. Despite the wind, I didn't notice any windchill when sunbathing topless. Liverpool ATIS reports 19C with a DP of 12C so the air isn't particularly humid." Notably stormy for August with that autumnal low crossing Scotland.

What I thought was going to become another cloudfest turned out to be half-decent with long sunny intervals. However come lunchtime the wind got up and currently blowing an F7 gale - the trees themselves here are in motion with the trunks moving slightly. Despite the wind, I didn't notice any windchill when sunbathing topless. Liverpool ATIS reports 19C with a DP of 12C so the air isn't particularly humid.

When discussing SAD while most studies come to the conclusion that the controlling factor is the intensity of light that falls on the retina during the waking hours. However some research maintains that skin exposure to bright light can moderate the effects of SAD. This isn't linked with the action of UV on the skin, it's a separate process - you don't need to use a sunlamp.

That's even more insulting. Those of us (myself included) who are "moaning" are suffering from SAD which isn't normal depression. It's a condition caused by a neurochemical problem and it can't be "snapped out" of.

Just posted this report under North West England regional weather reports: "After a dull start the rain started which kept on until around 1-2pm when it cleared. Presumably it was a warm front because although remained cloudy with a couple of bright intervals, the temp shot up to 23C. That was as measured using the accurate glass thermo I use for water temperatures. We went swimming in the Afon Dyfrdwy at Bangor-is-y-Coed followed by a pub lunch at the adjoining Royal Oak. Water temp 17C/63F which is about right for the time of year." OK it was in North Wales but not far from the Cheshire border (Afon Dyfrdwy = River Dee). Under usual circumstances today would have been regarded as overcast and pretty meh. Given what we've endured during the past two months today's offering was half-decent.

............like for instance SAD?

After a dull start the rain started which kept on until around 1-2pm when it cleared. Presumably it was a warm front because although remained cloudy with a couple of bright intervals, the temp shot up to 23C. That was as measured using the accurate glass thermo I use for water temperatures. We went swimming in the Afon Dyfrdwy at Bangor-is-y-Coed followed by a pub lunch at the adjoining Royal Oak. Water temp 17C/63F which is about right for the time of year.

Have recent summers become noticeably cloudier partially down to increased evaporation from the North Atlantic with generally higher SST's (ignoring the "cold blob" which seems to be affecting the position of the jet stream)?

Jam next week? Like it's been since the beginning of June. In the meantime yet another trough will shove the warmth well away.

However I suspect your office and living room at home are around at least 20C during the day. I'm living in that 15-16C throughout the day in my home and I can't really afford to switch on the CH during what's supposed to "summer". This summer has been the first one I can recollect with indoor temperatures so persistently low, and I've lived here for 37 years.