Monday, June 22, 2009

Rain rain, go away! Is it different this time?

For those of us in the Northeast who treasure our sunny summer months of June, July and August, the recent seemingly unending pattern of constant and soaking rain has many of us wondering if it is somehow different this year. Certainly in my memory I do not recall such an extended period of almost daily precipitation during our summers.The precipitation has been at times almost like that experienced in tropical rain forests-long, humid and drenching. If June is a harbinger of things to come we all better get used to wearing rainwear as part of our summer outfits.

If you feel this amount of rain is unusual you are not alone and your perception is backed by the facts. A recent article in Time magazine claims that precipitation in the United States has increased an average of 5% in the past 5o years. Doesn't sound like much but it is building. Scientific models show that Northern climates are getting wetter as Southern and Western areas of the country grow drier. It may be that Seattle, notorious for its rainy, gloomy weather, may have nothing on New York if this cycle continues and there is no reason to believe it will not. As the planet warms, contributed mightily by our continued dependence on the burning of fossil fuels, we can expect this process to only accelerate.

Its hard to imagine that New York, with all its hustle and bustle will operate as efficiently if the climate in the area is predominantly wet and dreary! Who can deny the energizing and uplifting effects of a daily dose of sunshine. One can imagine a precipitous (pun intended) decline in productivity if we all have to work in the new weather paradigm of endless rain storms?

One thing is for sure we all better stock up on our Vitamin D supplements! Maybe there is an investment idea in all this. Hmmmm.