As I left church this Sunday, I spoke to an eighty-year-old man who has lived his life on the Olympic Peninsula in Washington State, and he commented, “The weather is weird.” I’ve heard similar sayings from folks who’ve lived for decades in my neighborhood. They say that rain and wind usually start by September, and occasionally the first snow occurs in October. Instead, we’ve had wonderful, rainless, fresh days where no windbreaker is needed, and short sleeves are still OK—wonderful except that the Pacific Northwest relies on drizzle to keep it green. Smoke from forest fires (caused by the dryness) has filled our skies these last couple of days, and a brown sky is now a regular occurrence. Warm days and no rain by mid-October, plus brown skies. Yes, weird.

Danny Westneat, “It’s Not Your Imagination: ‘Smoke Season’ Has Become Real,” The Seattle Times, 23 Oct. 2022, Print, C1 and C2; 22 Oct. 2022, Web, https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/environment/its-not-your-imagination-smoke-season-has-become-real-in-seattle/

Diana Caplow mentions weather concerns (and suggests action) in her letter to the editor, “Climate crisis: ‘Endorse environmental candidates’,” The Seattle Times, 18 Oct. 2022,
https://www.seattletimes.com/opinion/letters-to-the-editor/climate-crisis-endorse-environmental-candidates/