Welcome to Locally Sourced, a biweekly Covering Climate Now newsletter for journalists working to localize the climate story. Share this newsletter with colleagues and journalism students interested in localizing the climate story. Vea la versión en español de “Fuentes Locales.”
Story Spark: Winter Weather
Winters today are not the same as the ones we grew up with. Winters are warming faster than any other season across nearly 75% of the US with some areas seeing an 8-degree-Fahrenheit increase in average winter temperatures since 1970.
The implications of this warming trend extend beyond the loss of regional identity and fewer white holiday seasons with far-reaching impacts to agriculture, health, and the economy. From water scarcity driven by declining snow packs to dismal fruit harvests which rely on cold temperatures and threats to a $12 billion winter sports industry, climate change’s impact on winter disrupts life in every region in the US.
While overall snow amounts have declined, regional snow trends vary as climate change affects precipitation and weather patterns in complex ways. Some areas, for example, have seen more snowfall despite warming trends as warmer air can hold more moisture which can fall as snow. In addition, balmier winter temperatures are also influencing the timing of severe weather events typically reserved for spring with wintertime tornadoes increasing by 71% from 2001–2022 compared to 1980–2000.
Stories We Like
- KING 5 Seattle examines what the shrinking snowpack in the Pacific Northwest means for fishing, farming, skiing, and more in a recent climate special.
- In Michigan, the nation’s leading producer of cherries, the Detroit Free Press reports on how warming winters are wrecking crops in the state’s “fruit belt.”
- In Maine, Bangor Daily News covers how climate change is impacting winter sports and recreation, a $3.3-billion industry in the state.
- As Charlotte marks its longest snow drought in recorded history, WSOC connects with their state’s climate office to understand this local impact of climate change.
- Recently reported by NOAA, snow crabs populations in Alaska have collapsed due to human-caused climate change. Yale Environment 360 explores how one fishing community there is faring.
- Once dormant in the winter, disease-carrying deer ticks are becoming a growing issue for many in the Northeast, WBUR reports.
- Using augmented reality, WZZM in Michigan explains how lake effect snow patterns have evolved as their winters have warmed.
- The Atlanta Journal Constitution explores how farmers are testing growing citrus in Georgia as hard freezes become less frequent due to climate change.
Expert Tips
Kelly House, an environment reporter for Bridge Michigan, offers tips to help report on climate change’s impact on winter. In addition to covering vital climate stories in Oregon and Michigan, House has written about the many impacts stemming from the Great Lakes State’s “vanishing winters.”
Acknowledge variability. While journalists have a responsibility to show readers how climate change is affecting their lives, it’s also important to be honest about what we don’t know. Doing so builds trust and credibility. Where I live in Michigan, winter weather has always been wildly variable because we’re surrounded by vast lakes that impact our weather in unpredictable ways. As a result of this so-called “lake effect,” mild winters can actually increase the odds of big snowstorms. It’s our obligation to clearly explain the long-term temperature trends without suggesting that winter will disappear overnight.
Lean into common concerns. Audiences notice when crummy winter weather impacts the things they hold dear. Cherished pastimes like skiing or ice fishing. Safety on roads that have become icier as the freeze-thaw cycle changes. By finding common concerns, reporters can deliver pieces that resonate with readers already deeply engaged on climate issues, and those who just want the lake to freeze over so they can stick an ice shanty on it.
Connect the local to the global. Whenever I cover a topic with any connection to the global climate crisis — from renewable energy developments to snowless winters — I make sure to zoom out. It can be as simple as a sentence or two noting that this local issue is happening because fossil fuel consumption is heating the globe to dangerous levels. I work in a state often touted as a “climate haven,” but it’s important to remind readers that nowhere will be untouched by climate change, and many places are already experiencing deadly effects.
Helpful Links
Resources
- Connect with your local National Weather Service or State Climate office to better understand winter precipitation and temperature trends in your area.
- View NOAA’s 2024–2025 winter outlook to see what the seasonal forecast says for your area.
- Explore climate attribution studies highlighting climate’s role in snow, ice, and extreme cold events through Carbon Brief’s newly updated interactive attribution search.
Maps/Graphics
- Climate Central has graphics highlighting how winter temperatures have changed locally and across the country.
- Dive into current snow cover data and trends compared to previous years through interactive maps provided by the National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC).
- Examine how Great Lake ice coverage has changed over the past 50 years via data from NOAA’s Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory (GLERL).
- View up-to-the-minute snow surveys and water supply data throughout the mountain ranges of the western US with an interactive map provided by the National Water and Climate Center.
Recommended Experts
- Elizabeth Burakowsk, research faculty member, University of New Hampshire, on winter climate change in the Northeast.
- Michael Notaro, director and lead scientist, Nelson Institute for Climatic Research, on climate change and lake effect snow.
- Anne Nolin, professor, University of Nevada, on relationship between snowfall and wildfires.
- Robert J. Warren II, professor, Buffalo State University, on climate change and fruit crop yields.
- Harold Brooks, senior research scientist, NOAA, on the climatology of severe thunderstorms and tornadoes.
Before We Go…
The next Locally Sourced will highlight climate attribution science. Reported about how individual heat waves, hurricanes, or other extreme weather events were influenced by climate change? Send them to us at local[at]coveringclimatenow[dot]org. We’d love to consider them for the next edition of Locally Sourced and our media trainings and social platforms.
The Climate Station is a free-of-cost training program from CCNow that equips local TV station newsrooms in the US, including journalists, producers, and meteorologists, to cover climate news more effectively. For inquiries, please email Elena González at elena[at]coveringclimatenow[dot]org. Or apply here.
Want more tips on how to localize the climate story? Check out CCNow’s recent webinar, “Telling the Climate Story Locally.”
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