Washington winters are rapidly warming up and feeling more Southern.

'How many times in recent years do you recall ambling outside in 70-degree weather totally bewildered during the winter months?

Thanks mostly to a combination of human-caused climate change and urbanization, winters in Washington are warming hastily and taking on an entirely new character. Our winter climate is on a southbound journey, with nothing in the way.

Over the past five decades, the region has seen winter average temperatures increase between three and five degrees.

Based on current projections from the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science, the winter months could warm an additional 4 to 10 degrees by 2080, depending on emissions of heat-trapping greenhouse gases and how the climate responds to them.

So far, warming is evident in each of the winter months, and the season is shrinking. Winter weather is starting later, ending earlier and is less intense at its peak. These changes are in line with observations nationwide that match what climate scientists expect in a world that is warming as a result of burning fossil fuels, such as coal and natural gas, for energy.'>>>

https://www.washingtonpost.com/weather/2020/12/03/washington-warming-winters-snow/?