An informal straw poll of New Yorkers reveals that many think global warming and El Niño are somehow contributing to this year's unusually mild winter, but as with the public at large, opinions vary wildly. Daytime temperatures were a chilly but not freezing 35 degrees Fahrenheit yesterday when this reporter walked the streets of Manhattan to ask the following questions: • Do you think the weather this winter is typical or unusual? • Do you think global warming is affecting our weather this winter or do you think the two have nothing to do with each other? • Have you ever heard of El Niño? Do you know what it is? • Do you think El Niño does or does not have anything to do with the weather this winter? Of the 39 interviewees, 34 (87 percent) said this winter was indeed unusual. "I was at the Botanical Gardens recently and there were cherry blossoms blooming," said Simon Fornari, 22. "What's up with that?" Two-thirds of the respondents thought global warming was playing some kind of role. Others were skeptical.
"I'm sure if they checked back, we've had similar weather through the years," said one woman who asked not to be identified.
