TOLEDO, Ohio — Where's the snow? You may have asked yourself that question this week. Nine days into December, we've seen more rain than snow and felt mild temperatures mainly in the 40s.
December snowfall is becoming more sparse as temperatures rise. In this week's Climate Friday Newsletter, meteorologist John Burchfield will break down the impacts of climate change on December precipitation, including Christmas snow.
As a whole, December is getting warmer and wetter, and more moisture is fueling heavier precipitation. In the last decade alone, December precipitation has risen 4%, and winter rainfall has grown much heavier across Ohio, Michigan, Indiana and most of the Midwest.
Wetter weather coupled with warmer temperatures has resulted in a significant increase in winter rainfall. In the past decade, December temperatures in Toledo have risen 3 degrees. Since 1970, the mercury has jumped a full 5 degrees.
Think about all the times we're right on the rain/snow line and one degree makes the difference between rain and snow. Climate change has left us on the rainy side of things more often than not, and as temperatures exceed that 32 degree freezing mark, rain is growing more common than snow.
This uptick in winter rainfall has impacted much of the United States, especially the Great Lakes, Great Plains, and desert southwest. The southeast and Pacific Northwest, on the other hand, have grown drier during the winter months. Winters in Ohio and Michigan will likely grow even wetter in future decades, at least in part due to climate change.
Even with global warming, December snow will still fall and cold snaps will still strike. The overall trend, however, suggests December snowfall, including Christmas snow, will become less frequent in the future.
Since 1970, Christmas in Toledo has grown 3.2 degrees milder, a change that has caused more rainfall and less snowfall on Christmas Day.
Though this December has started off mild, colder conditions will likely move in for the latter half of the month as temperatures fall from the 40s to the 20s and 30s. Will this colder weather come along with moisture for snowfall? Time will tell.
Whatever weather this December and Christmas have in store, the WTOL 11 weather team will keep you updated. Stay tuned for next week's Climate Friday Newsletter.
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