Solar cycles and the weather: successful experiments in autosuggestion?

Abstract

Claims relating the single and double sunspot cycles to the weather and climate are critically reviewed in the light of what is known about the sun/weather/climate system. Various pitfalls in the application or lack of application of statistics to the problem are discussed and illustrated from the literature. Follwing a survey of the literature it is concluded that despite the great number of papers on the subject, little convincing evidence has yet been produced for real correlations between sunspot cycles and weather or climate, although evidence for correlations between weather and solar events on time scales of days appears to exist. - Author