Global weather patterns

RE: "Weird weather sets record high for Feb. 2, follows 5th warmest January"

When reporting on local weather weirdness, it's essential to avoid any mention of broader regional, national and planetary patterns. The fact that Southeast Missouri's winter has been several degrees warmer than usual is no reason for alarm. Nor should we be worried that in Massachusetts, the only significant blizzard this winter was in October, or that Yosemite National Park, normally blanketed, has remained essentially snow-free all winter, or that Texas' ongoing drought has completely dried up portions of the Colorado River. Australia's deepening flood crisis may have left thousands of people homeless, but that's over there, not over here.

Really?

While no single weather event can be unequivocally linked to global climate change (science simply doesn't work that way), climatologists have been telling us for years that the burgeoning greenhouse effect is going to disrupt weather patterns everywhere around the planet. Perhaps it's time to pay attention to them.

WARREN SENDERS, Medford, Mass.