Shifting Snow in the Warming U.S.

The document reports that winter is the fastest warming season for most of the U.S., leading to a general decrease in fall and spring snowfall between 1970 and 2019. It details regional impacts, such as a 15-30% reduction in snow-derived freshwater in the Western U.S. since 1955, a shift toward rain over snow in the Northeast, and a shortened lake effect snow season in the Great Lakes region. These changes threaten water security for agriculture and municipalities, increase wildfire and drought risks, and negatively impact the winter recreation industry.

• Between 1970 and 2019, snowfall decreased in the fall across every region with available data, and decreased in the spring in all regions except for the East North Central and Northeast regions.
• The mountainous Western U.S. has seen a decline in snowpack and a shift toward more rain, which has reduced snow-derived freshwater by 15-30% since 1955.
• In the Western U.S., reduced snowpack and earlier melt increase wildfire risks in forests and exacerbate drought risks in the Southwest. In the Colorado River and San Joaquin Basins, this creates a timing mismatch between water runoff and agricultural demand.
• The Northeastern U.S. is experiencing a northward shift in the snow-rain transition zone, with more winter precipitation falling as rain. This is projected to shorten the winter recreation season and reduce the overall frequency of snowstorms this century.
• In the Great Lakes region, warming has led to a decline in annual maximum ice cover since 1973, which increases evaporation and lake effect snow, though the overall lake effect snow season is projected to shorten by the late 21st century.
• Warming in the Northern Great Plains has resulted in shorter snow seasons and reduced snowpack water storage, impacting late-summer streamflows, aquatic ecosystems, and snow-dependent industries like skiing and snowmobiling.

APA

Climate Central (2022). Shifting Snow in the Warming U.S. https://www.climatecentral.org/climate-matters/shifting-snow-in-the-warming-u.s

Chicago

Climate Central. Shifting Snow in the Warming U.S. 2022. https://www.climatecentral.org/climate-matters/shifting-snow-in-the-warming-u.s.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Climate Central |title=Shifting Snow in the Warming U.S. |date=19 January 2022 |url=https://www.climatecentral.org/climate-matters/shifting-snow-in-the-warming-u.s |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{climatecentral2022shifting, author = {{Climate Central}}, title = {{Shifting Snow in the Warming U.S.}}, institution = {Climate Central}, year = {2022}, month = jan, url = {https://www.climatecentral.org/climate-matters/shifting-snow-in-the-warming-u.s}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }