End of…Seasons
/By Don Varyu
Jan 2024
ook, I realize there may be a blizzard outside as you read this—if so, enjoy it while you can. The short range, mid range and long range forecast for the planet is warmer..warmer…warmer. And these predictions are not the product of climate crazies. These predictions become more ironclad every time a new set of data arrives.
Consider this:
Winters are warming faster than any other season of the year—including summer. In recent years, temperatures from December through February rose quicker than any other three-month period of the year.
A survey of 233 separate communities across the country showed that average winter temperatures are rising in 97% of them.
But I’m not here to churn up arguments that themselves have now been heating up for decades. Instead, I’d like to point out a result of all this that is sad: the demise of seasons.
Spring, summer, fall and winter are not really descriptions anymore; they’re nostalgia. They still exist on the calendar, but not in reality. Sure, summer is still around—in spades. You’ve heard about our current streak of “hottest summer on record”, (as well as “hottest year.”) But the lamentable part of summer sizzle is how it also impacts its seasonal neighbors. There really isn’t a “spring” anymore—only “early summer.” Likewise, “fall” only applies to a shorter period with descending leaves—and then, only in climates still lucky enough to have deciduous trees. This part of the calendar is only “late summer” now, not extended weeks of crisp days and starry nights. Forget about “shoulder seasons”—we’re left with one boiling summer and a couple “summer simmers.”
Minneapolis this winter set an all-time high temperature of 70 degrees. A couple of ice fishermen who flew over to Minnesota from Michigan landed their little Cessna on their favorite lake, knowing conditions would be great. But they weren’t. There was no snow on the ice, which meant an extended, slippery landing. It concluded with the plane finally skidding to a stop in an area of thinner ice—and the nose of the plane plunging into open water. (They were rescued.)
So, say hello to our new “two-season” year. It may not be long before trick or treaters show up in swimsuits…and temperatures get too hot for them to even think about wearing that swimwear outside in summer.
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