It’s a result, according to meteorologists, of our prevailing weather system, which is normally dominated by the North Atlantic jet stream being challenged by cold air pushed down by something called the “polar vortex”. And so, the recent horrendous weather has been a reminder of the fragility and contingency of the weather system dynamics by which this country is afforded its comparatively benign climate. If I understand this matter correctly, it is the Gulf Stream and prevailing westerly winds that primarily distinguishes us from our frigid latitudinal fellows. The Gulf Stream forms a kind of underwater conveyor belt that consistently moves warm water northward through the Atlantic from the tropics, and colder water back down south. As with that corporate tax rate, the Gulf Stream (or as it could well soon be renamed, the Trump Stream) and our beneficial arrangement with it are highly vulnerable to powerful global forces beyond our control.

Source: The Irish Times February 15, 2026 10:31 UTC