UMass analysis: Massachusetts sees warmest winter on record

AMHERST, MA (WGGB/WSHM) - We have learned that this winter is the warmest on record for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

The Climate System Research Center at the University of Massachusetts Amherst released this map, which showed Massachusetts highlighted in red. It’s the only state in the country with record warm temperatures.

“The statewide winter average, December to February, meteorological winter, was tied for the warmest on record with 2015, 2016,” said Professor Michael Rawlins, associate director of the climate research center

Rawlins broke down the and said that from December to February, temperatures averaged above freezing at 33.7 degrees Fahrenheit, which is approximately eight degrees above the 20th-century average, which has brought on more rain.

“There were quite a few days that saw above-freezing conditions interestingly for Amherst during the period from the last week of December to the third week in February. There were only two days where the low temperature fell below the normal low for that date, so it’s really a profound shift in our environment,” Rawlins added.

We wanted to know what’s causing these warmer temperatures, so we went to First Alert Meteorologist Dan Brown for answers.

“The jet stream has been lifting in the east, so basically, we have this huge ridge in the east, so whenever a storm heads our way, it goes up through the Great Lakes, it brings in all that warm air, so we end up getting a lot more rainstorms and a lot more well warm weather,” Brown explained.

He pointed out the west coast has had an unusual winter as well.

“We’ve had our warmest winter on record in Massachusetts going back to 1895, but out west in California, it’s one of the coldest winters on record,” Brown added.

Meanwhile, Rawlins believes greenhouse gases and human actions, like using fossil fuels, have caused the warmer weather, but added this may not last much longer.

“Fortunately, it looks like global emissions optimistically may peak this decade and then slowly begin to decline and that really needs to occur for our climate to stabilize and stop warming so aggressively,” Rawlins said.

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