Light On Dark Water

It is an interesting commentary on the changes produced by the Internet that a letter to the editor in the local newspaper contained a link to this piece in the Telegraph. Fifteen or more years ago it would have been rare for anyone in this area to be aware of the Telegraph's existence, and extremely rare for anyone to read it. Perhaps it was (and is) available in some libraries, but it's safe to say few would have read it without some specific reason for seeking it out.

Anyway: the letter writer suggests, based on the Telegraph piece, that the position of the polar jet stream is a major factor in the generally drier weather we've been experiencing, and that the movement of the jet stream in turn is an effect of…sunspots? I don't know–this would imply that the overall rainfall in the eastern part of the U.S., at least, has been lower than usual, and I don't know if that's true. And of course I don't know how accurate this theory may be; I'm passing this on purely as an item of interest. I hope it's wrong, actually, since it predicts forty more years of drier-than-normal weather.

Weather and climate are such very fascinating topics. I've always thought it would be fun to be a meteorologist. Here's more than I previously knew about the jet stream(s).