In Survey Of 195 US Cities, Average Winters Nine Days Shorter Compared To 1970-1997 Baseline

[hatrack]

For the millions of people across the United States who have spent the last month digging themselves out of above-average levels of snow and ice, this winter has felt especially long and harsh. But the typical winter is actually getting shorter in 80% of major US cities scrutinized by researchers, according to new data released by Climate Central, an independent climate science and communication group.

Researchers found that across 195 US cities, winters are on average nine days shorter today than they were from 1970 to 1997, as the climate crisis progresses. For the purposes of the study, analysts defined winter as the coldest 90 consecutive days of the year during the past period, 1970-1997, and then compared the frequency of winter-like temperatures during the most recent 28-year period, 1998-2025. Across the country, they found that winter-defining temperatures are arriving later and ending earlier than in the 20th century.

Cities across the US south-east, north-east, upper midwest and south have experienced the largest average decrease in winter days, according to the research. Juneau and Anchorage in Alaska have seen winters shrink the most, by 62 and 49 days, respectively. Approximately 15% of the 295 cities analyzed saw winters lengthen, particularly along the California coast and in the Ohio valley.

EDIT

Warmer, shorter winters have significant consequences for both humans and the environment, including reduced water supply, decreased summer crop yields and worsening allergy seasons. “These are not just impacts that you see when you look out the window or affect if you are able to drive into work,” Barlow said. “These are also pretty substantial changes to ecosystems, the health of our natural community and our water resources.” Shorter winters are also creating challenges for local economies. The multibillion-dollar winter recreation industry faces challenges from rising temperatures and reduced snow and ice cover. In certain parts of Colorado, ski resort visits are down 20% this year amid severe snow drought.

EDIT

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/feb/27/us-winters-getting-shorter

[patphil]

1. My wife and I live in Chester, NY.

Yeah, where the Pep Boys warehouse is a bone of contention with ICE.
But, that's not the reason for this post.
We've lived there since 1984, and have seen a dramatic change in the weather over the past 4+ decades.
My wife's an avid gardener. We used to see the first frost sometime in the 2nd half of September. Then it crept into early October, mid-October, then late October. We even had one year where the first frost was November 1st!

We also used to see over 2 months of continuous snow cover during the winter, ice fishermen on a small lake nearby, and even the Hudson River freezing over. Then we started getting winters where the ground was bare during the Christmas Holidays, and one year where there wasn't a single snow storm in January. No more fishermen willing to go out on the lake with thin or non-existing ice.

But this is the first winter in over 2 decades that we are experiencing conditions that really feel like one of those old fashioned winters. At 79 years of age I'm not ready to go back to that. The good news is that we have an excellent plow guy who does our long driveway. He even hand shoveled the end of it. I point this out because it has been increasingly hard to find a good snow plow guy with these warm winters that produce few significant snow storms.

The spring warm up hasn't been reliable from year to year. Yeah, it's a bit earlier, but a frost can still come anytime up until early May.
So, our main observation of climate change as it relates to winter is the dramatic shift of the first frost date in the fall.