Warmer Winters Emerging in the Western U.S., Report Finds
While much of the United States recently contended with snow and ice, the West is experiencing a different weather pattern. States such as Nevada are facing unseasonably warm winter temperatures.
A report from Climate Central, a nonprofit research organization, indicates that Reno, Nevada, has seen an increase of at least two additional extremely warm winter days on average since 1970.
Kaitlyn Trudeau, a senior research associate at Climate Central, explained, “All you need, really, is a single day of extreme warming in the winter to cause all kinds of cascading impacts that really matter, especially to the Mountain West.”
According to Trudeau, these impacts can include water management challenges, damage to crops, extended allergy seasons, and increased cooling costs.
Despite these findings, cold snaps continue to affect parts of the country. Trudeau clarifies that this is the distinction between short-term weather and long-term climate patterns.
“There are still going to be cold streaks. They’re just going to be shorter, and there still are going to be those extremely cold days, but they’re just not going to be as cold as they would be without human-caused climate change,” she said.
It’s important to note that trends in extreme winter temperatures vary within the region due to factors such as elevation and geographical differences, according to Trudeau. For instance, while Casper, Wyoming, shows no change, Cheyenne has experienced an average increase of two extremely warm days.
