Climate Change is Making Our Winters Shorter
Over my lifetime, the number of freeze days has shrunk by weeks in most places in the United States. (An average of 19 days.) In 1956, our freeze days started Nov. 13th and ended April 14th on average. Today our freeze days begin Nov. 24th and end March 18th . That means our freeze days begin 11 days later and end 26 days earlier. (In case you missed it – Check out this USA Today Web Video describing shortened winters and why it matters).
Think of all the implications!
Dubuque County has lost an average of 16 freeze days. Scott County has lost an average of 24 freeze days.
Here are several examples of what that could mean for us:
Mosquitos lay eggs that will now hatch more quickly than normal, meaning more adults per season. West Nile Virus is on the rise along with other mosquito borne diseases. The transmission season has grown by 20 days.
Wood Ticks are moving further north. The tick season has expanded when they are active and their survival rate has increased. Lyme disease is on the increase along with other tick-borne diseases. Alpha-Gal syndrome is one of those. It causes an allergic reaction to eating red meat.
Bark beetles have a higher survival rate with fewer freeze days allowing populations to explode. Millions of more stressed trees will die.
Maple syrup production will be adversely affected, and production will fall off or be lost some years. There is a delicate balance between frigid nights and balmy days to get the sap flowing. A season’s outcome can’t be controlled. To produce sap, maples need to go through daily freeze thaw cycles. Snow is also crucial in the maple forests to insulate the roots.
An early spring warmup can bring trees and other plants out of dormancy, only to be severely damaged by a late freeze. Trees may not flower and produce fruit or seeds as a result. Without flowers bees will suffer. Foliage may be damaged, and some trees will have minor twig dieback as a result. Our whole ecology and environment will change.
The implications are many for plants, animals and humans!