Winter is Getting Warmer: Warming Winter Syndrome

Winter is Getting Warmer: Warming Winter Syndrome

One of the most robust measures of Earth’s changing climate is that winter is warming more quickly than other seasons. The cascade of changes it brings, including ice storms and rain in regions that were once reliably below freezing, are symptoms of what I call “warming winter syndrome.”

When I wrote this post, February 27, 2024, I had done almost 40 media interviews since 2020 on winter getting warmer.

In the winter of 2024, I published a piece on The Conversation website entitled

 Ice storms, January downpours, heavy snow, no snow: Diagnosing ‘warming winter syndrome’

It was, in fact, so warm that it was republished a couple of weeks later as “Diagnosing ‘warming winter syndrome’ as summerlike heat sweeps into central and eastern US.”

This piece described what I meant by warming winter syndrome.

I complemented The Conversation article in my Climate Blue column in Michigan Today. In that article I emphasized the profound role that the northward and westward migration of the average freezing line plays in the transformation of winter. The article was entitled

Living on the Edge

Necessary Loss

I want to point out two of the interviews by Kelly House at Bridge Michigan. In 2024, she noted that people in Michigan were feeling the loss of winter.  As I feel an important part of living with climate change is recognizing loss and realizing that there is something new, real, and vital after that loss, I think these articles are especially important. They recognize a mindset transition.

Climate change is erasing Michigan winters, taking our heritage with them

Michigan climate change: How fish, forests, farms, moose, ticks will change

Some pictures: The Wonder of Water:  Water, Ice, Vapor This is an art show by John Snell, that has beautiful pictures of what happens to water close to freezing.

Loss of lake ice

Aside from the loss of winter culture and wintertime economy, there are many physical and biological consequences of the loss of ice on the Great Lakes.  These include:

1. Larger lake effect precipitation events
2. Changes in lake level variability
3. Changes in seasonal runoff and the annual rhythm of water cycle
4. Changes in shore erosion
5. Changes in ecosystems

A table of articles

This post is a complete collection of what I have written on warming winters and warming winter syndrome. It, also, includes a table of the interviews.

The number of these interviews is anecdotal evidence of the changing climate and that people are noticing.

Many of the articles are about the consequences  that the warming winter will have.

Some years ago, it was fashionable to communicate climate change by comparing your state in 100 years to some other state now. Michigan was compared to Kentucky, Arkansas – warmer states to the south. I said at the time that most Michiganders I knew would say, “that’s a good thing!” In fact, I still get comments that there is no downside to winters getting warmer.

There are, however, many downsides. Most common in these interviews are the disruptions to a multi-billion dollar winter economy. But there will also be huge changes to ecosystems, public health, and agriculture. The decline and eventual loss of ice fishing is one that has really caught many people’s attention – this will change traditions and what we do.

The stories in these articles are far more convincing than me carrying on.