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Name: David
Status: other
Age: 40s
Location: N/A
Country: N/A
Date: 2000-2001
Question:
As more of the ocean water becomes exposed because of our meelting ice caps. What will this do to our snowfall in the coming winters.

Replies:
Dear David-

It is difficult to know how the melting of the ice caps will affect future weather around the globe. Much research needs to be done in this area. There are so many variables in climate and weather, and correlating any particular environmental event to later observed weather is not likely in the near future.

Weather patterns are cyclic, with cycles of several years overlaid on cycles of longer periods, even hundreds or thousands of years. Undoubtedly, snowfall will be above normal in parts of the world this winter, but it is unlikely any specific cause can be ascertained.

Wendell Bechtold, Meteorologist
Forecaster, National Weather Service
Weather Forecast Office, St. Louis, MO

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