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Data: Climate Central; Chart: Kavya Beheraj/Axios

The winter of 2022–23 has been Richmond's second warmest on record, with average temperatures from December through February of 45.1°F — 11°F warmer than those of winter 1970.

That's according to a new analysis of National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration numbers from Climate Central, a nonpartisan research and communications group.

Why it matters: Warm winters can exacerbate drought (because there's less snowmelt in the spring), wreak havoc on crops and gardens, and spell disaster for towns built around skiing, snowboarding and similar pursuits.

The big picture: Winter is the fastest-warming season for much of the continental U.S.

About 80% of the country now has at least seven more winter days with above-normal temperatures compared to 1970, per Climate Central.

Seasonal snowfall is declining in many cities — though heavy snowstorms can still happen when temperatures are cold enough.

In fact, precipitation extremes are happening more frequently and getting more intense, which can lead to feast or famine snowfall.

Driving the news: Not only are winters warming overall, but cold snaps are becoming less severe and shorter in duration, the latest research shows.

That's partly because the Arctic is warming at three to four times the rate of the rest of the world.

Yes, but: March has been unseasonably cool, and we may end up with a very rare instance of this month being cooler than February, per RTD meteorologist Sean Sublette.

Zoom out: This winter has been especially mild across areas east of the Mississippi River. But across the West, it's been colder than average. This is reflected in the balance of daily record highs to daily record lows.

The bottom line: Over the coming years, most of us can expect to feel climate change's effects most acutely during the winter months.

Richmond just saw one of its warmest winters on record

Winter is the fastest-warming season for much of the continental U.S.

The winter of 2022–23 has been Richmond&#x27;s second warmest on record, with average temperatures from December through February of 45.1°F — 11°F warmer than those of winter 1970.<ul><li>That&#x27;s according to a new analysis of National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration numbers from Climate Central, a nonpartisan research and communications group.</li></ul>

News

Data: First Street Foundation; Map: Erin Davis/Axios Visuals

The number of Richmond buildings vulnerable to hurricane-related wind damage could rise by more than 1,260% over the next 30 years.

51,700 buildings could be vulnerable by 2053, compared to 3,800 today.

That's based on new research from the nonprofit First Street Foundation, using peer-reviewed computer modeling of the intensity and tracks of more than 50,000 simulated tropical cyclones in a warming climate.

The researchers made projections for a 1-in-3,000-years storm, meaning such an event has a 0.0333% chance of hitting in any given year — a likelihood commonly used in setting building codes.

Why it matters: How hurricane-related wind damage risks are priced into insurance policies and whether they are disclosed to prospective home buyers has major implications for the real estate and insurance industries.

The threat will expand into inland areas previously considered out of reach for most such storms.

Zoom in: Of the 20 counties in the country expected to face some of the highest increases in economic losses over 30 years, nine are in Virginia.

By percentage, Newport News is expected to see a 157% increase, from an annual loss of $3.3 million in 2023 to $8.4 million in 2053.

But in gross cost, Virginia Beach is expected to grow from around a loss of $31 million in 2023 to $52 million in 2053 — about the same loss some parts of Florida see today.

💨 Of [very windy] note: Most of the counties expected to see the largest increases in maximum wind speeds over the next 30 years are in Central Virginia — places where historic building codes likely didn't account for hurricane force winds.

Amelia, Goochland, Chesterfield and Culpeper are four of the top five counties expected to see the highest increase in gust speeds by 2053.

Zoom out: More than 13.4 million properties nationwide will be newly exposed to tropical storm force or greater wind risk in 30 years.

Virginia's coming hurricane wind crisis

Of the 20 counties in the country expected to face some of the highest increases in economic losses from hurricane winds over 30 years, nine are in Virginia.

The number of Richmond buildings vulnerable to hurricane-related wind damage could rise by more than 1,260% over the next 30 years.<ul><li>51,700 buildings could be vulnerable by 2053, compared to 3,800 today.</li></ul>That&#x27;s based on <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="new research" data-vars-click-url="https://firststreet.org/research-lab/published-research/article-highlights-from-worsening-winds/" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://firststreet.org/research-lab/published-research/article-highlights-from-worsening-winds/" target="_blank">new research</a> from the nonprofit First Street Foundation, using peer-reviewed computer modeling of the intensity and tracks of more than 50,000 simulated tropical cyclones in a warming climate.

Andrew Freedman

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Richmond just saw one of its warmest winters on record

Virginia's coming hurricane wind crisis