My alternative weather forecasts have been extremely accurate

Your correspondent Richard Cotter (Letters, Jan 4) is entitled to his opinions, as I am to mine.

Mr Cotter is clearly not a fan of what he thinks is astrology. Seeing that astrology paved the way for, and so made possible the morphing into; modern science, becoming astronomy, modern medicine, biology, geography and applied mathematics, which then became computer science, he is probably disdainful of all these too.

If he thinks forecasters halt at five-day forecasts, he might wish to view Met Éireann’s longrange predictions for summers and winters to come, in which MÉ’s Ray McGrath said: “Met Éireann produces extended forecasts and seasonal forecasts but is reluctant to give them out because they could affect the credibility of the weather service.”

Surely if ME are permitted to develop this science then the field is open for others to do also, using methods at their disposal, without rancour.

On January 2013 in this newspaper I suggested Jul 9, 2013, would bring a heatwave to Ireland.

It happened to the day. Remembering that in science there is no such thing as a fluke because everything has a reason, there were 364 chances of that not happening, therefore odds of 1:365 of it occurring on cue.

If anyone would have placed a bet with their bookie back in January, they could be retiring now to the south of France.

Such is the value of the science I am trying, in my own way, to bring to the community.

If science is anything, it is welcoming of new and alternative ideas, and often it is left to mavericks operating outside mainstream science to bring change and progress.

And if it matters any, I am university trained, and in the sciences.

Ken Ring

Long-range forecaster

Auckland

New Zealand