The government spends millions of dollars to launch weather satellites. They observe the patterns of weather systems around the world. Meteorologists use the data to try to predict what the weather will be so as to plan for what may be coming. The predictions are fairly reliable in the short term. They prove to be less reliable for the long term. Even in the short term the weather produces surprises. Tornadoes show up unexpectedly. A few years ago flash floods killed people and destroyed property with practically no warning in southeastern Ohio. Hurricanes suddenly change directions. Still we try to read the weather signs.

People also study other signs to try to predict the future. They look at trends and project them into the future. Most people will remember the gloomy predictions in th…