2023 Winter Package

Climate Central's analysis of U.S. locations from 1970 to 2022 shows that winter is the fastest-warming season for 74% of analyzed sites, with average winter temperatures increasing in 97% of locations. This warming is characterized by more warmer-than-normal days, fewer freezing nights, and shrinking cold snaps, particularly in the Northeast and Upper Midwest. These trends affect critical sectors including the $27 billion fruit and nut industry, western water supplies, and residential energy use.

• Winter is the fastest-warming season for 74% of the U.S. locations analyzed. Between 1970 and 2022, average winter temperatures increased in 233 of 240 locations (97%), with an average increase of 3.8°F. The most significant warming occurred in the Upper Midwest (4.7°F), Northeast (4.6°F), and Ohio Valley (4.3°F).
• The frequency of warmer-than-normal winter days has increased in 95% of the 240 analyzed locations since 1970. Approximately 84% of these locations now experience at least seven more warmer-than-normal winter days than they did in 1970, with the highest increases seen in the Northeast (16 more days) and Upper Midwest (14 more days).
• Extreme cold events are diminishing: 97% of 244 analyzed U.S. locations saw shrinking winter cold snaps from 1970 to 2021, decreasing by 6 days on average. Additionally, the annual number of freezing nights dropped in 204 locations by an average of 13 nights, and annual minimum temperatures rose by at least 1°F in 98% of 244 locations.
• Winter warming has diverse socio-economic and environmental impacts, including reducing mountain snowpack for western U.S. water supplies and disrupting the chill required for the nearly $27 billion U.S. fruit and nut industry. It also contributes to decreasing residential natural gas use and increasing the risks from disease-carrying pests and allergies.

APA

Climate Central (2023). 2023 Winter Package. https://www.climatecentral.org/climate-matters/2023-winter-package

Chicago

Climate Central. 2023 Winter Package. 2023. https://www.climatecentral.org/climate-matters/2023-winter-package.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Climate Central |title=2023 Winter Package |date=22 November 2023 |url=https://www.climatecentral.org/climate-matters/2023-winter-package |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{climatecentral20232023, author = {{Climate Central}}, title = {{2023 Winter Package}}, institution = {Climate Central}, year = {2023}, month = nov, url = {https://www.climatecentral.org/climate-matters/2023-winter-package}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }