Hi Mary;
I live in California, and we're having one of the wettest springs in many years, after one of the wettest winters in many years.
However, this does not tie in with 2012. Climate (the 'long term weather') changes over time. Patterns that we are familiar with will change, and areas that were dry decades or centuries ago will get wet, and areas that were wet will dry out. This has been going on for as long as there has been liquid water on the Earth. Global Climate Change (e.g., Global Warming) also has a long term effect here, as do shorter term trends such as the El Nino and La Nina phenomena.
I've said elsewhere, somewhere in the world, right now, a weather related record is falling. It is either the hottest, coldest, wettest, driest day in (n) years, or in recorded history. It's a big planet, with lots of different weather systems going on simultaneously. The weather in the atmosphere is tied to the 'weather' occurring in the oceans (e.g., ocean currents), and those in turn can be affected by the amount of fresh water running off of the continents or the melting of the polar ice.
So, it happens. It's been happening forever. At some times in history there was very little polar ice. At other times it would have been difficult to find open water. Don't worry about it, it doesn't mean anything in the short term. Long term, you should be thinking about conservation efforts, and ways that we can reduce the impact that humans are having on the planet.
mary (guest) 06 Jun 2011 19:53