In the past, New England has been known to receive a lot of snow as the winter begins; however, over the past few years, this has not been the case.
Prior to January 2024, Boston had only had around 0.2″ of snow, which is “about 8 inches below the average to date for Boston,” according to CBS. This raises the question, has it just been a warm year, or is climate change starting to take effect?
This winter has consisted of a lot of rain. Temperatures have been warmer than normal, and there has been little to no snow. The Fifth Nation Climate Assessment report predicted that rainy winters would become more normal. Global greenhouse gas emissions caused by humans have been the reason for these temperature rises.
The report stated that this could cause “other large-scale changes, including…melting ice, ocean warming,…changing rainfall patterns and shifts in the timing of seasonal events.” This could mean that Massachusetts’s shifting snow amounts could be permanent.
Less snow is not only less fun for skiers and sledders but also has environmental implications as well. It impacts the water supply and presents “challenges for water management and flood mitigation strategies,” according to Drought.gov. It also heavily affects wildlife; they receive less water, which is very harmful to plants and animals.
There has not been a lot of snow in the past few years, especially in December. However, this is not as out of the ordinary as it may seem; two years ago, there was also only 0.4″ of snow to conclude 2021. However, according to CBS, it “was followed up by the fourth snowiest January on record (36.2″) and more than a foot in February (15.3″).”
On Sunday, January 7, 2024, Hamilton Wenham got around 7″ of snow. Other towns, such as Haverhill, got up to about 18″. This has been the first big snowstorm New England has seen in nearly two years. Although the snow was promising, the temperatures will return to around 50 degrees just a few days later; with rain expected and melting snow, Massachusetts is being warned about the possibility of flooding.
Will this be the start of a strong snow season? If the past years are any indication, the answer is no, but winter lovers can hope.
