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.

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.

DateSourceInterview
20240328Bridge Michigan: Panel Discussion on Warming Winters.Watch Bridge’s Lunch Break on Michigan disappearing winters // Flyer
20240323Chicago Daily HeraldUnseasonable winter temperatures decimate Great Lakes ice coverage
20240312Bridge MichiganRoad salt use dips 37% in Michigan warm winter, saving millions, easing pollution
20240308Local4Detroit WDIV NBCClimatologist talk lack of ice on Great Lakes and its meaning moving forward (Related content on YouTube: Absence of lake ice turns into pressing concern for climatologists at U-M )
20240301980 Radio Vancouver BCWarming Winter Syndrome, Radio 980 Vancouver BC
20240227Bridge MichiganMichigan climate change: How fish, forests, farms, moose, ticks will change
20240226Bridge MichiganClimate change is erasing Michigan winters, taking our heritage with them
20240211 & 20240217Detroit NewsMild winter keeps ice fishers at bay (Personal PDF)
20240215
CBS Detroit

Great Lakes ice coverage reaches record low (Personal local copy )
20240202WXYZ Detroit ABC 7Officials warn 'stay off the ice' as safe ice in Michigan becomes increasingly rare
20240127The GuardianConstant clouds over US Great Lakes area could hurt residents’ mental health
20240118Stateside Michigan Public (NPR) (First, 13 minutes)Decline of Lake Ice and Warming Winter Syndrome // Direct link to Segment
20240117Washington PostThis week’s Arctic blast pales in comparison to cold of the past
20240108WBEZ Chicago Warmer winters mean less ice on Lake Michigan – hurting lake trout and whitefish

20230228Washington Post (AP story)DTE Energy, Consumers Energy face power-outage challenges, AP story
20230228Mlive‘Not just a one off’: Ice cover on Great Lakes hits record lows
20230226BBC World (Live TV Interview, video provided by BBC)BBC Interview on Winter / Freezing Rain
20230225WWJ (Radio interview and online article)'This is not a one-off year': U-M climate expert says more Michigan ice storms likely as warming trend continues
20330225Detroit Free Press (Personal copy)Huge winter ice storms uncommon in Michigan. That’s likely to change, scientist says.
20230223MliveTurning red: Michigan’s wine industry adapts to warming temps, changing tastes
20230217Detroit News, The Hill, Newsweek (Stories from Michigan Press Release) Ice cover at record low level on Great Lakes
, Great Lakes ice cover at record low, Record Low Ice at Great Lakes Seen in Before and After Images From Space
20230217Washington PostGreat Lakes ice cover plummets to record mid-February low
20230209The Michigan DailyAnn Arbor sees decade-high temperatures in January 2023
20230206Teach Me About the Great Lakes (Illinois - Indiana Sea Grant)Simple Physics in a Complex System (Disappearing winter and a little about the wolf and the moose at Isle Royale NP)
20230125WOODTVLack of ice on lakes takes toll on ice fishing
20230118WEMU: Issues of the EnvironmentMichigan winters are changing and climate adaptation is key to the future
20230109Bridge MichiganMichigan winters are super cloudy and getting worse. Here’s how to deal.
20221223Yale Climate Connections (Radio syndication) How climate change influences ‘lake-effect’ snow
20221128Detroit NewsDreaming of a wet Christmas? Michigan likely to deliver
20220902Detroit Free PressHow climate change has affected Michigan weather conditions
20220420CBS DetroitScience of Weather: Weather, Climate, Earth Day
20220323Washington PostClimate change is causing Michigan dogsledders to shift gears from snow to dry land
20211227Michigan AdvanceAs snow and ice disappear with climate change, some Michigan businesses struggle
20211019Bridge MichiganMichigan’s balmy October means more mosquitos, peril for coldwater fish
20211011Toledo BladeWho else loves these warm Octobers? Ticks, yellowjackets and the rest of the Insect World (purchased pdf, On Yahoo)
20210825WKAR, NPR, LansingIt's Not Your Imagination — Lansing Summers Have Been Getting Hotter
20210322Alpena NewsScientists Predict Trouble for Infrastructure in Changing Climate
20210201Interlochen RadioWhere's all the snow? Mount Bohemia grapples with making their own
20210201National Public Radio (Morning Edition)Warmer Temperatures Affect Snow Totals Around Great Lakes
20210124Michigan RadioGreat Lakes seeing low ice cover compared to this time last year
20210103Detroit Free PressMichigan winters, as generations have known them, may be coming to an end
20200324National GeographicThe Great Lakes depend on ice. This year, they barely froze.
20190220FOX 2, DetroitAs Earth warms, Michigan's Upper Peninsula to get more snow