Connecticut, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont, which are the northeastern United States that make up this area New Englandthey all lived their month warmest January always.
It was there all winter a single, extreme but short frost wavein the first half of January, then the mild weather took over again.
FairleeIn the Vermontis a city that bases its economy on winter tourism linked to ice and snow, thanks to the presence of two lakes and a golf course that in winter are transformed into skating rinks and toboggan runs: death, taxes and frozen lakes by early January were the stony certainties of the inhabitants of this city.
This year, For much of January the ice on the lakes was too thin for skating and only at the end of the month it was possible to open a trail. Up until two years ago, hockey tournaments were even held on these lakes!
Thousands of people skate on Fairlee’s Ice every week. But the Time window to be able to skate of the lakes, traditionally at least 7 weeks a year, There is a risk of a halving jeopardize the city’s main tourist attraction.
New England prides itself on its winters icy, but this region is warming faster than almost any other part of the United States and wintering twice as fast as other seasons. Any business that relies on cold has a risky future.
There will still be very cold and snowy winters, however the long-term trend is towards higher average temperatures and less snow. Everyone over 50 has memories of how different winters used to be. The giant snowdrifts, the car rides across the frozen lakes, the parties organized on the ice come to mind. Now all this is part of the memories and The younger generations are no longer attached to cold-related traditions like they used to be.
It is possible that climate change means not only the need to transform the economy of entire regions, but change the mentality and culture of entire communitiesput an end to centuries-old traditions.
Despite an extreme cold snap earlier this month Many places in New England and upstate New York had one of the five warmest Januarys on record this year and some, including New York and Montpelier (Capital of Vermont), are the hottest ever. January temperatures averaged 5 to 6 degrees Celsius above normal across much of New England.
A winter trend that is not an exception, but fits into one well-defined global warming trend.