Solar Storms.

[Wonderdog]

Do solar storms have any affect on the earth's weather? I seem to recall Gordon Barnes of wtop Channel nine having an interest in sunspot activity and weather.

[Kmlwx]

Do solar storms have any affect on the earth's weather? I seem to recall Gordon Barnes of wtop Channel nine having an interest in sunspot activity and weather.

might want to place this in the general wx forum. It's a topic that impacts more than just the Mid-Atl.

[BethesdaWX]

Do solar storms have any affect on the earth's weather? I seem to recall Gordon Barnes of wtop Channel nine having an interest in sunspot activity and weather.

I believe the Sun is the principle driver of everything weather and climate, whether it be ENSO, the AMO/PDO, AO/NAO, or Global Temp...but solar storm(s) specific effects on kinetic operation can vary in many ways depending on the internal system state at the time.

I also feel the individual effect of a CME is much more clear during a base period of weaker net solar activity, where individual impact of any forcing can be descernable over background noise in the external forcing mean. A weaker solar wind = a contracted thermosphere, so CMEs do act to "puff up" the atmosphere due to the increased molecular collision rates which manifest heat.

To use the Sun in predicting ENSO, you can forsee the future:

Winter 2012-13: La Nina [most likely, room for error there]

2013/14: El Nino

2014/15: La Nina

And the AMO flip to negative between 2012-2014

The upcoming years could feature a historic, total climate regime change, global temp dropping significantly after it peaked in July 2010, -AMO/-PDO combo until the max of SC25 in the mid/late 2020s...but if IMF stays N in a weak SC25 the -PDO may continue or the AMO may go unresponsive...or maybe they both lose their signal.