Most notable is that it broke the record from 2016, which was an El Niño year. This year is not. So we're setting records without the intermittent addition of warm Pacific water (or rather, reduction in the upwelling of colder deep water).
There's a good chance of an El Niño later this year, suggesting that January 2021 could be very, very warm indeed.
I’m pretty sure that here in Stockholm we didn’t have a single daytime high below zero in the month of January. This winter has basically just been an extended fall. There’s been like one dusting of snow that immediately melted.
I cross country ski and have noticed those in the community in Scandinavia despairing and in shock over the lack of snow and its impact on events.
I've dealt with lack of snow in one or two past years and always had a kind of FOMO reaction, like Scandinavia was some sort of climate bubble. Now the tables are turned (somewhat; it's definitely been warmer than normal here too although not to the same extent) and it's not only shocking to see Scandinavians faced with the prospect of not enough snow to hold major ski events, but also sobering.
I've worried that this will become some sort of negative feedback spiral in the sport. If snow becomes unreliable, it's hard to justify purchasing a nice set of equipment, which leads to less participation, which leads to less trail prep, etc.
A relatively trivial example of the impact of global warming, in the grand scheme, but personally significant for me.
What's most difficult in some ways is when we lose cold days it's not like running or biking somehow become more feasible, because there's too much ice. If it's too warm for winter sports, and too icy for summer sports, you're kind of stuck.
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[ 3.6 ms ] story [ 21.5 ms ] threadThere's a good chance of an El Niño later this year, suggesting that January 2021 could be very, very warm indeed.
On the upside it’s been a runner’a dream!
I've dealt with lack of snow in one or two past years and always had a kind of FOMO reaction, like Scandinavia was some sort of climate bubble. Now the tables are turned (somewhat; it's definitely been warmer than normal here too although not to the same extent) and it's not only shocking to see Scandinavians faced with the prospect of not enough snow to hold major ski events, but also sobering.
I've worried that this will become some sort of negative feedback spiral in the sport. If snow becomes unreliable, it's hard to justify purchasing a nice set of equipment, which leads to less participation, which leads to less trail prep, etc.
A relatively trivial example of the impact of global warming, in the grand scheme, but personally significant for me.
What's most difficult in some ways is when we lose cold days it's not like running or biking somehow become more feasible, because there's too much ice. If it's too warm for winter sports, and too icy for summer sports, you're kind of stuck.