Climate

Michigan tourism preps for a colder winter

By |

By Victor Wooddell

Capital News Service

The 2023-24 winter was the warmest on record in the U.S. with average temperatures throughout the state above freezing, with close to average precipitation, according to the National Weather Service. Data from the Southeast Regional Climate Center shows that average daily maximum temperatures in the Midwest were several degrees above normal between December 2023 and February 2024. But this year may be different. The outlook for Michigan for the 2024-25 winter is for increased precipitation and lower average temperatures than last year due to an expected “La Niña” effect, the National Weather Service says. A La Niña is when cold water temperatures in the Pacific Ocean affect the weather across the continental United States.

Climate

Warmer-than-normal fall likely in Michigan

By |

By Ruth Thornton

Early fall temperatures in Michigan will likely be higher than average, according to the National Weather Service, but are predicted to return to normal for the winter if long-term predictions hold up. Cort Scholten, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Grand Rapids, Michigan, said precipitation amounts are expected to be near normal for the next three months. “Right now, this outlook is saying that the odds are favoring overall we’ll see more warmer-than-usual days than we will colder than usual days,” he said. Scholten said temperatures are expected to return to near-average in November through December, but with higher-than-average precipitation expected, which could be in the form of either rain or snow. “We’ll still have plenty of temperature swings during the winter,” he said.

: Record-setting heat waves are becoming more frequent due to climate change. Image: JJ Gouin/Adobe Stock
Climate

Heat waves are a sign of ‘creeping changes’ in climate, expert says

By |

By Elinor Epperson

There’s no easy way to say it: The heat is only getting worse. Extreme heat events in the Great Lakes region will only become more frequent as climate change warms the oceans, lakes and air, a University of Michigan climate expert said. And the earlier that heat waves start each season, the more there may be in the months to come. Richard Rood is a professor emeritus at the University of Michigan Department of Climate and Space Sciences and Engineering. He said extreme weather will change what feels “normal” for each season.

Climate

Are Great Lakes cities ready for climate migrants?

By |

A California woman on “The Daily Show” recently swapped her sandals for snowshoes after moving to Duluth to escape her state’s wildfires.

The Comedy Central show featured Duluth as a climate haven, an ideal place to live to avoid wildfires, droughts, hurricanes and extreme flooding. 

Climate

Dirty steelmaking unfairly threatens low-income communities

By |

Michigan residents and activists are pushing the auto and steel industries to buy cleaner, more sustainable steel to clean up pollution in the Detroit-Dearborn area. 

Recently Industrious Labs, a climate advocacy group, gave guided tours of Detroit and Dearborn auto and steelmaking factories to try to convince automakers to switch from steel produced traditionally into sustainable, cleaner steel.