Feb 26, 2025 - Climate
Climate report: Winters in Virginia are getting warmer
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It's hard to believe with the recent freezing temperatures, but Virginia's winters are actually getting warmer.
The big picture: Over the last decade, climate change has added an average of 10 days in December and January where the minimum temperatures are above freezing in Virginia.
- That's according to a recent Climate Central report, which also found 27 other states had an additional week of above freezing winter days between 2014 and 2023.
- The report calls these "lost winter days."
- 2021 had 14 of them statewide.
The intrigue: Nearly 60% of winter days in Virginia are above freezing each year, according to the report.
What's next: Richmond isn't forecasted to have a low below freezing until Sunday night thanks to fake spring — which will have us in nearly 70-degree weather Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday.
- But shorter winters also mean an earlier spring, which means longer allergy seasons.
Go deeper: Warm winter days surge across Europe, North America and Asia