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FACT BRIEF

Are Wisconsin winters getting warmer?

By Hope Karnopp
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YES

In a 2021 report commissioned by Gov. Tony Evers, scientists at the Wisconsin Initiative on Climate Change Impacts concluded that the state is getting warmer, “especially in the winter.”

The partnership between the University of Wisconsin-Madison Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies and the state Department of Natural Resources found that “warming is happening fastest in the winter and at night.”

Winter warming is most apparent in northern Wisconsin, where temperatures are up 4-6 degrees Fahrenheit since 1950. Researchers also found fewer extreme cold periods below 0 degrees Fahrenheit.

Winter temperatures are also expected to increase an additional 5 to 11 degrees by 2050, "meaning winters will be milder, about one month shorter than they are today, and will produce about 14 fewer inches of snow," according to the DNR.

Warmer winters are expected to impact forest ecosystems, farmers and seasonal sports such as skiing.

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Wisconsin's warming winters
This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.
Sources
Wisconsin Initiative on Climate Change Impacts 2021 Assessment Report: Wisconsin’s Changing Climate
PBS Wisconsin Wisconsin climate change research confirms impacts of warming winter nights
Wisconsin DNR The Science of Climate Change
Post Crescent As Wisconsin's climate gets warmer and wetter, beloved winter activities could be in jeopardy
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Wisconsin Watch, the news arm of the nonpartisan, nonprofit Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism, increases the quality and quantity of investigative reporting in Wisconsin, while training current and future investigative journalists. Its work fosters an informed citizenry and strengthens democracy.
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Fact briefs are short, credibly sourced summaries that offer “yes/no” answers in response to claims found online. They rely on publicly available, often primary source data and documents. Fact briefs are created by contributors to Gigafact —a nonprofit project looking to expand participation in fact-checking and protect the democratic process. See all fact briefs here.