Dampened 

Editor:

The cause of the lack of rain this winter has been occupying my thoughts lately. David Simpson's piece "Salmon in the Middle" (Feb. 13) was a very welcome supplement to my understanding of the situation. The GOES images of the North Pacific were particularly illuminating. I have not seen anywhere else the connection that "this year's deep freeze in the east is the other face of California's drought."

According to a BBC article I just read, a warming arctic is weakening the jet stream. It goes on to say that a weaker jet stream is less able to break through high pressure air masses. This leads me to believe that winters with less precipitation in Humboldt County are likely to happen more in the future.

A veritable fire hose of water has been whipping through the North Coast the past few days. The rivers have filled up to their banks again and water supplies must surely be in better shape than they were two weeks ago. It is a relief to know that a high pressure ridge can be overcome by an atmospheric river in February.

Jeffrey Hayes, Eureka