Facing warmest winter on record, Minnesota forced to pivot on recreation offerings

Each year, winter sport enthusiasts flock to cold weather states where higher levels of ice and snow create the ideal environment for activities like skiing, skating, ice fishing and more.

The winter sports industry contributes over $12 billion to the U.S. economy every year, according to a report by the Natural Resources Defense Council and Protect Our Winters.

But as climate change driven by global warming prompts shorter and less predictable winters, winter recreation is changing and places that count winter as part of their tourism strategy, like Minnesota, are having to pivot.

«We have put more money into our winter budget over time, but really, as we saw this winter weather not showing up this year, we have sort of shifted some of our advertising focusing on outdoor activities,» Explore Minnesota executive director Lauren Bennett-McGinty told ABC News.

This winter is the warmest on record for Minnesota and the Twin Cities going back to the earliest records kept in the 1870s.

The state climatology office reported Friday that the «Lost Winter of 2023-24» now includes the longest «January Thaw» on record for the Twin Cities, with daytime high temperatures above freezing from Jan. 22 to Feb. 14.

«What we're noticing here in Minnesota is that it's getting warmer, particularly in the wintertime,» Luigi Romolo, State Climatologist with the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, told ABC News. «And so what we're seeing in the wintertime is an increase in the minimum temperature. So, the coldest temperature of the day is the minimum temperature and those are rising.»

Romolo explained that some other observed climate change impacts in the state are an overall shortening of the winter season and more extreme storms.

«We'll get