San Francisco's winters are warming
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Image courtesy of Climate Central
Although it's been chilly these last few weeks, our winters are generally getting warmer.
Driving the news: Spring, summer and fall are all hotter these days than they were 50 years ago, but average winter temperatures in San Francisco are rising the fastest, according to nonprofit research and journalism organization Climate Central.
- Our 2022 winter temps are 3.3 degrees higher than they were in 1970.
Zoom out: Winter temperatures have risen in 97% of the U.S. locations surveyed by Climate Central, with the average increase in line with San Francisco's — 3.3 degrees.
- Among the biggest temperature upticks between 1970 and 2022: Burlington, Vermont (7.1 degrees), Milwaukee, Wisconsin (6.1 degrees), and Chattanooga, Tennessee (6.1 degrees).
Why it matters: Warmer winters may be welcomed by those who hate bundling up, but the unseasonal temps can negatively affect our environment and our daily lives — with impacts like decreasing our water supply and halting winter recreation in nearby mountains if there’s no snow.
- Of note: There's been plenty of snow in Tahoe so far this year, but that’s not been the case in recent seasons.
In San Francisco proper, the biggest threat from rising temperatures may be rising sea levels, with water predicted to rise along our coastline by at least 1 foot by 2050. The city is already planning to shut down the Great Highway Extension near Sloat Boulevard as a result — its first known example of a "managed retreat."