NOAA: Winter '23/'24 Was The Warmest In America History
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Climate.gov released a troubling map of data for the United States to Instagram this week.
The visualization shows this winter's differences from average temperatures, by each month, across the country compared to that average temp from 1991-2020.
The caption beneath the data visual read, "the cold snap in January was no match for the warm sandwich of December and February. Overall, U.S. had its warmest winter on record. And while the last month of winter was dry, the season over all was wetter than average."
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration reported that this meteorological winter was the warmest winter on record for the contiguous U.S. with an average temperature of 37.6 degrees F — 5.4 degrees above average.
Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New York, North Dakota, Vermont and Wisconsin all had their warmest winters on record, and twenty-six other states saw their top-10 warmest winters on record.
The year-to-date (January – February 2024, YTD) average temperature for the contiguous U.S. was 36.5 degrees F — 4.5 degrees F above average —ranking as the ninth warmest such YTD on record.
February in the U.S. was 41.1 degrees F, and 7.2 degrees F above the 20th-century average and ranking as the third-warmest February in NOAA’s 130-year climate record.
Plus, Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri and Wisconsin each had their warmest February on record, with 20 other states seeing their top-10th warmest Februarys on record.
This data may not come as a surprise. Before meteorological winter began, NOAA released a Seasonal Temperature Outlook for December, January, and February '23/'24. Due to a strong El Niño weather pattern, NOAA predicted that the northern parts of the country have the "greatest" chances for warmer-than-average temperatures this winter.
Related: "Wetter South, Warmer North"- NOAA Releases Its '23/'24 Winter Weather Outlook
Indeed, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New York, North Dakota, Vermont and Wisconsin were the states that saw their warmest winters.
This data may prove disheartening to those who love snow. But while the trends from the weather are taking a downturn, there is a positive trend in the ski industry regarding climate advocacy.
Films such as Amie Engerbretson's "The Hypocrite", organizations such as Protect Our Winters, and the NSAA Climate Challenge all work to make skiing more sustainable.
Because we all want winter--and the natural snow that accompanies it--to last as long as possible.
Related: The End Of El Niño Coming Soon, Climate Center Says
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