TheBanyanTree: Missing Our Tropical Storms

[redd_clay at bellsouth.net]

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Two years ago some people I know were absolutely sure that the hurricane 
season that brought us Katrina was yet another result of the effects of 
global warming.

After all, they had read it somewhere so it had to be true.

Some of these same people were certain that hurricanes were getting to be 
more frequent and were becoming stronger due to the same thing: global 
warming.  The reason?  Well, they had read it somewhere.

I wonder what those same people are saying now that we haven't had a "decent" 
hurricane season in the USA for about 2 years.  They were so sure that global 
warming caused our hurricane seasons to get worse by the year.  They had read
it somewhere, or heard it in the news, so it had to be true.

But I'm puzzled by their train of thought.  Global warming didn't take a break 
did it? I mean, we still hear about it virtually every day in most news media 
outlets and, according to them, it's not only continuing unabated but getting 
worse by the minute. 

But why didn't it do its part by making more and stronger hurricanes like they 
said it was certainly responsible for?  I'm thinking that as persistent as they 
are I'm sure they'll come up with some reason that'll satisfy their minds.  All 
things are possible with faith. 

When I was growing up any perceived aberration in the weather was another
sure sign, to some people, that "the end of the world was coming", that the 
Apocalypse was at the door, that we were certainly heading for the tribulation 
described in the Bible.  The reason?  Well, they had read it or heard it
somewhere that it was one of the many signs of the end times.

It's not a theory that one of the reasons we in parts of the southeastern USA 
are experiencing drought is partly due to the lack of hurricanes and tropical 
storms visiting our area for the last 2 years.  Those dreaded storms are an 
integral part of our overall climate picture and have been for a very, very 
long time.  

But their "absence" is not unprecedented.  And their return is sure and certain.
If not this year the next, or the year after, or the year after that. 

While we don't really want a hurricane to strike a city or town and wreak the 
havoc that New Orleans faced 2 years ago, we could sure use the rains brought
by our previously typical tropical storms - whether subtropical, tropical or 
hurricane force for that matter, bringing with them life-giving, life-sustaining 
water in the form of much needed rains.



  bd
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