Letter: Drought in Western Retreat Areas

JWR:

Has the recent drought in the western United States caused you to change any
of your “Recommended Retreat Areas”? – T.I.A.

JWR Responds: No, it hasn’t. There is an old saying: “Climate is what you expect, and weather is what you get.”

I do not believe that the current drought in the northwest is any evidence of any long term climate change. We are simply in an El Niño weather pattern that most likely will last only another year or two. The El Niño weather pattern has temporarily shifted the jet stream, disrupting seasonal rains, particularly in California, where the the drought has been quite severe and protracted.