Some of you may have been wondering where I'd disappeared to recently?
Well, I was on holiday in Germany last week, visiting Berlin, Munich and Garmisch-Partenkirchen in Bavaria. Great food but the beer didn't agree with me!
The weather there was unseasonably cold so I was glad I packed my scarf and gloves - there was even a covering of snow on the Alps.
Here in Wales, it feels more like late summer than autumn at the moment.
Southerly winds are bringing warm air northwards from Spain and North Africa.
I don't think we'll break any records, however, temperatures are above average - typically 16 to 18 Celsius this afternoon; the average daytime maximum for this time of year is 13 Celsius.
There is a noticeable breeze today though but the weather was much more severe on this day in 1913, when one of the deadliest tornadoes ever to strike Britain wreaked havoc.
One witness described it as "roaring like a train in the Severn Tunnel".
Edwardsville near Merthyr Tydfil was particularly badly hit, a miner was carried 1300 feet, thrown onto the ground and killed; another 5 died - the highest ever death toll from a tornado in Britain - and many others injured.
Don't worry, no tornadoes are expected in Wales in the next few days, it's going to stay very mild with some rain and stronger winds expected by the end of the week.
Derek
