Last year many people combined their expertise to predict the severe weather changes caused by this winter's "El Nino." First among these experts was Stan Deyo, whose multi-faceted career has involved him at the highest levels of U.S. government research. Currently a resident of Perth, Australia, Stan issued his warning about "El Nino" a full six months before the National Weather Service, and he now warns that we may be facing even more disruptive climatic changes during the coming year.

Last fall we published an article detailing the scientific bases for projections of severe weather during this past winter. Chief among the original source materials we cited was the U.S. Navy "Sea Temperature Anomaly" Map , which charts changes in sea temperature worldwide.

Everyone knows that the weather did indeed turn out to be unusual this past winter. Drought has threatened large parts of Australia, imperiling crops, while the West coast and Southwest in the United States have been deluged, also affecting agriculture. Starvation has visited parts of South America, Africa, and North Korea. These past few weeks, weather experts have reported that we can expect some relief from severe weather, because the "El Nino" phenomenon in the ocean to the west of Peru is fading.

Unfortunately, Stan Deyo believes we would be wrong to relax our concerns about severe weather. First of all, to call this past winter's phenomenon "El Nino" is erroneous. "El Nino" refers to a very localized phenomenon off the west coast of Peru, while the sea temperature anomalies charted this past year were worldwide. Furthermore, the past year's sea temperature anomalies were at least twice as high as any previously observed.

The U.S. Navy "Sea Temperature Anomaly" Map now shows that sea temperatures are rising off the east coast of Japan as well as in other oceans worldwide. During the past decade, solar scientists have tracked an enormous increase in the total energy output of the sun, a 3% increase that has led to a cumulative increase in the total heat stored by Earth. Cancer experts warn that we are seeing a 300% increase in the incidence of melanoma, and they are beginning to suspect increased solar radiation. At present (May 4-6) we are experiencing solar proton storms unlike any previously observed. A hot debate is underway, and many solar scientists are arriving at the reluctant conclusion that global warming (including sea temperature anomalies) may be caused by a cyclical change---perhaps a 5,000, 10,000 or 20,000 year cycle--in the sun's output, never before witnessed by modern man .

During such a sun cycle, massive weather disruption would become the norm, and the worldwide effect on crops, with subsequent food shortages, could spark political changes that would impact everyone.

Anecdotal evidence is already accumulating that would tend to prove Mr. Deyo correct. This past week tornados touched down in the San Francisco Bay Area--unheard of this near the coast. And during the first five days of May, parts of California experienced twice the normal rainfall for the entire month.

You may wish to review Holly Deyo's collection of practical information, which will help you make contingent plans for any emergency. Holly and her husband Stan maintain a Web site where they discuss related issues from a religious perspective.

In addition, The Adelphi Organization's Web site offers a fine balance of practical, philosophical, and spiritual information in the context of a discussion of current events and their historical meaning.