Global Warming and Oddball Winter Weather
[Man with snow blower]
Global warming is having a seemingly peculiar effect on winter in
the continental United States says NWF's report, Odd-ball Winter
Weather: Global Warming's Wake-Up Call for the Northern United States
<http://nwf.org/Global-Warming/What-is-Global-Warming/Global-Warming-is-\
Causing-Extreme-Weather/%7E/media/PDFs/Global%20Warming/Reports/NWF_Wint\
erWeather_Optimized.ashx> .
The report details how:
Wintertime temperatures have been increasing across the northern United
States.
*
Since the 1970s, December-February temperature increases have ranged
from 1 to 2 degrees in the Pacific Northwest to about 4 degrees in the
Northeast to more than 6 degrees in Alaska.
*
Winters are getting shorter, too. Spring arrives 10-14 days earlier than
it did just 20 years ago.
Global warming is bringing a clear trend toward heavier precipitation
events.
*
Many areas are seeing bigger and more intense snowstorms, especially in
the upper Midwest and Northeast.
*
Global warming is shifting storm tracks northward. Areas from the
Dakotas eastward to northern Michigan have seen a trend toward more
heavy snowfall season.
Many nasty pests are expanding further north or are no longer being kept
in check by frosts or sufficiently cold temperatures.
*
The ticks responsible for carrying Lyme disease are one example of
projected range expansion as winters become milder
*
Millions of acres of pine forests across the Western United States,
Alaska, and Canada have been decimated by pine bark beetle infestations
in recent years. Higher temperatures have enhanced winter survival of
the beetle larvae.
Large economic uncertainty and potential losses are in store for many
communities, especially in regions where winter recreation provides
significant tourism revenue.
*
A number of Northeastern ski areas are likely to see a 25-45% decline in
the length of their ski season by the 2070s.
*
Lakes across the Midwest are freezing later and have thinner ice, often
leading to ice conditions to dangerous for safe ice fishing.
*
Removing snow and ice from our roadways cost states more than $1.2
billion each year on average from 1998 to 2007.
http://snipurl.com/uagop [nwf_org]
