Syracuse, N.Y. — Syracuse has had on average 5 feet less snow this year than how much we usually have up to this point.
That can be explained by this year being a La Niña year, where the jet stream pushes up wetter but warmer conditions into the Northeast, leaving the South to be very dry. However, this La Niña is also amplified by climate change.
“This is as cold as it’s ever gonna be, in your life” said Robert Wilson, professor of geography and the environment at Syracuse University.
He said that this was because of a steady and gradual warming of our planet, which will lead to tamer winters, like this year, looking strong compared to ones we might encounter in the future.
“Even this winter now will probably be a particular cold winter compared to what it’s going be like 20 years from now,” said Wilson.
This will affect the water supply, leading to a larger amount of warmer water in the rivers and streams, which will grow summer recreational activities. This also might lead to long-term effects on the quality of our drinking water.
“It also provides challenges for systems of the quality of water supply, because we have sort of a longer period where we have plant growth and algae which can impact the quality of the water,” said Charles Driscoll, professor of environment systems at Syracuse University.
It’s getting hotter in Central New York, whether it is longer and warmer summers, or wetter winters. However both Wilson and Driscoll had similar responses to where step one is to facing this problem: Awareness, especially of the changes we can already see.
