IT really is getting wetter.

This is not just a natural observation because of the prolonged spell of rain but it is confirmed in figures from Little Hereford farmer and weather watcher Derek Small.

Mr Small was for many years the ‘Advertiser’ weather expert and he has been keeping records for more than half a century.

As well as watching the skies Mr Small is also a farmer and says that the land is especially wet.

Records going back to the 1970s show that each successive decade has been wetter than the last.

His statistics show that in the 20 year period between 1984 and 2003, the average annual rainfall in the area was 781mm which in imperial is 31.24 inches.

But last year in 2019 the annual rainfall was 1,088mm or 43.52 inches - a massive increase.

Mr Smalls says that he keeps records and is not a forecaster. He also says that he does not have a view on climate change and leaves that to others.

But during the period between 2008 and 2019 the wettest months were October and November last year.

The years with most rainfall during that period were 2008, 2012 and 2014 although all of them fell short of last year.

By contrast the driest year was 2011 with 503mm or 20.12 inches. This is less than half the amount of rain that fell in 2019.

Mr Small says that fluctuations from year to year are normal but that over a prolonged period the trend for it to have been getting wetter is clear.

During the period between 2009 and 2019 there was not a single month without any rainfall but the driest were March and April 2011.

Over the 20 year time span from 1984 the driest months of the year have been in the spring and summer and the wettest the autumn months of October and November.

The reason why global warming has been linked to climate change is because warm air is better able to hold water.