Six ways Minnesotans are feeling the state’s changing climate

Minnesota has warmed roughly 3.2 degrees Fahrenheit since the beginning of the Industrial Revolution. That’s double the global average and places Minnesota among the fastest-warming states in the country.

While Minnesota isn’t subject to the raging wildfires in the West or the hurricanes of the Gulf Coast, our seasons are changing. Snow is becoming wetter and heavier and melts more frequently in winter.

In late spring and throughout the summer, Minnesotans are also being exposed more frequently to unhealthy air thanks to wildfire smoke traveling south from Canada. Major rainstorms are becoming more common, and autumn colors are appearing on trees later in the year.

With representatives from around the world gathering in Brazil this week for the United Nations’ annual climate summit, here are six ways Minnesotans are experiencing those changes.

Precipitation in Minnesota is increasing on average, state data shows. In the winter, that has translated to more days with heavy snowfall.

The snow itself is also getting heavier. That’s because it contains more water on average than in the past. Snow water equivalent (SWE) is a measure of how much water is contained in one inch of snow, and Minnesota’s SWE has been trending upward. That has led to heavier snow to shovel and more stress on trees and powerlines, said Kenneth Blumenfeld, a climatologist for the state Department of Natural Resources.

While the amount of snow is growing on average, it is also melting more often. To the chagrin of winter sports enthusiasts and ice fishers, Minnesota winters are seeing more days with above-freezing temperatures, when it rains instead of snows. Since 1970, winters in Duluth and International Falls have gained an average of two to three days with warm and rainy conditions.

Summertime air pollution has become a growing problem as smoke from Canadian wildfires drifts across the border. Since 2008, the number of state-issued air quality alerts has risen dramatically, with officials recording the first “hazardous” air quality rating this year.

Jim Gilbert, a well-known naturalist and former Star Tribune columnist, has tracked peak fall color in Carver County every year since 1969. The rare data shows autumn retreating further into the year as summer weather extends well past September.

Minnesota has set several ambitious climate goals, including a requirement that utility-generated electricity be carbon free by 2040. But the state is not on track to meet key targets to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Minnesota’s emissions are declining, but not at the rate required to meet the goals the state set for itself in 2007 and 2023. In the past two decades, overall emissions have fallen 14%, the state’s latest data shows.

Emissions declined in the energy and transportation sectors, while remaining flat or rising in other sectors.