Officials take drastic action amid worsening winter crisis — here's what's happening

Ice sports are basically synonymous with Minnesota. However, the Twin Cities metro area recently shut down many winter activities amid unseasonably warm weather. 

What's happening?

According to the Minnesota Star Tribune, the Twin Cities experienced the hottest Feb. 14 on record since 1882, with temperatures also warmer than normal leading up to Valentine's Day. The unusual weather caused several communities to call off winter events that month.

In Maple Grove, a lack of snow meant Glow in the Snow would not proceed as planned. In Apple Valley, the ice became "too soft" for city rinks to operate. Edina also closed its rinks. 

In Minneapolis, officials canceled outdoor youth hockey and adult pond hockey games. After monitoring conditions day by day, they closed the city's ice rinks for the season Feb. 15.

Why is this important?

This year's record-breaking Valentine's Day points to a trend: The warming climate is destabilizing weather patterns. That doesn't mean cold temperatures and heavy snow are a thing of the past — look no further than February's historic blizzard in the Northeast.

Rather, winters are becoming milder and shorter on average in Minnesota and elsewhere. Meanwhile, the warming atmosphere and more erratic jet streams are intensifying extreme conditions and the risk of weather whiplash. 

As a result, communities are losing their cultural traditions and sources of income. In Colorado, for instance, several ski resorts drastically cut employee hours amid a historically bad snowpack season, according to 9News. The economic effects ripple out from there, as restaurants, hotels, and shops all lose business with fewer tourists in town.  

What's being done to protect winter activities?

Winter resorts are using snow machines to supplement natural snowfall and promoting other activities, such as hiking and biking, as part of their adaptation plans. 

In the long term, safeguarding winter activities requires reducing air pollution that traps heat in the atmosphere and is the key driver of this warming trend. To that end, utility-scale renewable energy continues to increase globally. The residential solar industry has also emerged as a source for households to protect themselves against rising energy costs.

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