Much of the U.S. was just blanketed in snow and ice. But in the West, states like Nevada are seeing unusually warm temperatures this year.
A new report by Climate Central, a policy neutral nonprofit, found that since 1970, Reno has experienced at least two more extremely warm days in the winter season on average.
“All you need, really, is a single day of extreme warming in the winter to cause all kinds of cascading impacts that really matter, especially to the Mountain West,” said Kaitlyn Trudeau, a senior research associate at Climate Central.
Water management issues, dying crops, elongated allergy seasons and potential cooling costs are other effects Trudeau said.
Despite the report, cold extremes are still felt across the country. Trudeau said that the perceived discrepancy is actually the difference between weather and climate.
“There are still going to be cold streaks. They're just going to be shorter, and there still are going to be those extremely cold days, but they're just not going to be as cold as they would be without human-caused climate change,” she said.
However, the trend in extreme winter highs isn’t consistent across our region due to factors like elevation and local geography, said Trudeau.
For example, in Casper, Wyoming, there was no change, but Cheyenne saw two more extremely warm days on average.
