When I think of the summer I imagine long days at the pool, hikes through national parks, and hours spent sweating in the heat that we’ve come to enjoy during that time of year. It seems every year we face a new hottest summer as the average temperature continues to rise year after year. I can’t remember a summer where I thought to myself, “That was underwhelming”, or “I’m surprised it wasn’t too hot this summer”. Yet increasingly I find myself asking why winters the past few years have been underwhelming. The last massive snowstorm I can remember happened when I was in middle school, but since then each season I’ve been met with disappointment. Whether you love snow and what it brings, or you hate snow and wish you’d never see it again, I think everyone would like a blizzard now and then. However as the Earth’s global temperature continues to rise `we’ll see less and less of these cold blizzards and snowy winters.
You can see here that over the last 50 years, the average snowfall in State College has decreased. Typically weather year after year isn’t a clear indicator of any climate issues, but over the course of 50 years we can figure out a lot about how the climate in an area is functioning. Certain areas of the country continue to receive high levels of snowfall. Around the Great Lakes region, frigid air temperatures lead that meet the warmer lake water create historical blizzards that blanket cities such as Buffalo and Erie. This winter Buffalo experienced a deadly blizzard that led to the deaths of many people. A common misconception is that warmer weather leads to less snow, while this may be true on average it doesn’t stop freak weather events from occurring that leads to record breaking snowfall and wind gusts. The frequency of deadly blizzards has gone up over time, while we continue to experience a slower decrease in the average amount of snow in inches and yearly snowstorms with snowfall over 1in.
Snow can be annoying and certainly gets old after it hasn’t melted for over two weeks and is getting brown. Most people hate this part of winter, but the past few years winter hasn’t felt necessarily the same. I’d rather have to see the ugly, brown PA snow that’s been sitting in the same spot for two weeks then to not see any snow at all. Although the aftermath of a snow storm may be ugly, I want to see a white Christmas, or waking up on Halloween with snow outside. Increasingly, I’m met with disappointment each Winter and have noticed without looking at data that snow only falls in the very middle of winter with decreasing levels. Almost always the reported snow is more than what actually falls and I’m left skiing, or tubing in 3in of snow that’s barely solid. I’m not sure how ski resorts have con tied business, because not only does the lack of snow prevent good runs but it also makes me not want to ski on 2in of fake powder that they produced.
I also worry about this — I haven’t experienced a big snow in years, here in PA. Obviously, much has to be done, as this is a major warning sign a lot of people are ignoring. I would suggest breaking up your text a but more, either with more images or just simple paragraph breaks, but otherwise, good writing!
I have definitely noticed this trend too! Every year I think “hmm, it just was a mild winter and hot summer”, but now that has been going on for years. Maybe it was just the rose-colored lens of childhood, but I recall so much more snow, so many more snow days, and colder temperatures. I also think it is weird since snow days aren’t what they used to be. Now, we still have our Canvas assignments due, and, at least for me, I use snow days as a day to catch up on work rather than a day to relax and have fun. I like how you talked about the science behind climate change, and how less/more snow isn’t always the best climate indicator! It is sad to imagine how new PA winters will look like, but hopefully sustainability efforts will mitigate this more.
This reminds of a New York Times article that I saw about a week ago, reporting how NYC has gotten virtually no snow this winter. I’m from that area and that’s crazy, because we also at least get a few big snows. I think the point you made in the last paragraph is really interesting. How will outdoor snow related businesses adapt to the possibly permanent weather changes? If ski/tubing companies are relying solely on artificial snow, how many customers will they lose and will their cash intake be enough to keep the company afloat? I also really like snow and it’s tragic that some blizzards do so much harm, and it’s no coincidence that the weather has changed so much in recent years. I don’t know how climate scientists are trying to work this problem out, but I have little doubts that it involves attempts to decrease the rate/stop global warming.
As I’m writing this, we had 2 consecutive 60+ degree days this week, in the peak of State College February, a typically frigid span of time. This trend isn’t so terrible for someone who is fond of warm weather and the summer, but it does frighten me. It is not a good look for the future that we are getting less and less snow, a true sign of a changing climate. I think this proves even more that we need to act now, otherwise it may be too late.
I see what you mean. Two days ago (I think), it was 70 degrees in the middle of February, that’s not typical for central PA. An increase of average temperatures in many areas of the world is a great quantitative indicator that the amount of carbon emissions released into our atmosphere should be severely addressed. Some people do not realize how concerning an increase in average temperature is, which is not good. I can’t wait to read more of your blogs surrounding this topic!