From the northern Plains to the Great Lakes, February is typically a time for winter revelry, set against a landscape of deep snow and iced-over waterways. But this year, snow is absent, ice is dangerously thin, and many cities are experiencing their warmest winter on record.
Across most of Minnesota and Wisconsin, average temperatures are 10 degrees or more above average for the season. Ice cover over the Great Lakes is at record lows.
Winter still has a month or two left, but the forecast offers [little promise for sustained cold](https://twitter.com/pdouglasweather/status/1757532050096066648). The exceptionally warm winter fits into a long-term trend toward milder weather, driven by human-caused climate change.
Most of the Great Lakes region is enduring its warmest winter on record, including much of Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan and parts of surrounding states. Many additional locations in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic are also experiencing one of their warmest winters. The warmth expands into central Canada. The temperature in Winnipeg has been[ at least 5 degrees above normal for 24 straight days](https://twitter.com/jjcwpg/status/1757581093908140368).
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From the northern Plains to the Great Lakes, February is typically a time for winter revelry, set against a landscape of deep snow and iced-over waterways. But this year, snow is absent, ice is dangerously thin, and many cities are experiencing their warmest winter on record.
Across most of Minnesota and Wisconsin, average temperatures are 10 degrees or more above average for the season. Ice cover over the Great Lakes is at record lows.
The [“lost winter”](https://www.bridgemi.com/michigan-environment-watch/michigans-lost-winter-cancels-sturgeon-season-ski-dog-sled-races) is affecting commerce in the region: Ice fishing opportunities are limited, ski areas are struggling, and wintertime events dependent on snow can’t proceed.
Winter still has a month or two left, but the forecast offers [little promise for sustained cold](https://twitter.com/pdouglasweather/status/1757532050096066648). The exceptionally warm winter fits into a long-term trend toward milder weather, driven by human-caused climate change.
Most of the Great Lakes region is enduring its warmest winter on record, including much of Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan and parts of surrounding states. Many additional locations in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic are also experiencing one of their warmest winters. The warmth expands into central Canada. The temperature in Winnipeg has been[ at least 5 degrees above normal for 24 straight days](https://twitter.com/jjcwpg/status/1757581093908140368).
**Read more:** [**https://www.washingtonpost.com/weather/2024/02/14/record-warm-winter-greatlakes-midwest-snow-ice-climate/?utm_campaign=wp_main&utm_medium=social&utm_source=reddit.com**](https://www.washingtonpost.com/weather/2024/02/14/record-warm-winter-greatlakes-midwest-snow-ice-climate/?utm_campaign=wp_main&utm_medium=social&utm_source=reddit.com)