It鈥檚 been an unseasonably 鈥� and record-breakingly 鈥� warm winter in 黑料吃瓜网.
Last month was and the , according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
That warm weather is changing 黑料吃瓜网 with impacts on everything from ski resorts to wildlife. Here's how.
Snow is scarce. But people are flocking to CT's ski slopes
黑料吃瓜网 ski resorts say reliance on machine-made snow is keeping slopes open and popular despite the warm winter.
鈥淲e never rely on natural snow,鈥� said Jay Dougherty, general manager at Mount Southington in Plantsville.
Dougherty said business is booming, in part, due to more people taking up skiing as a hobby during the pandemic. 鈥淲e鈥檙e seeing all-time highs of participation,鈥� he said.
And while the hills are still covered with machine-made snow, Dougherty said warm weather is melting snow quicker and driving up production costs.
鈥淔or us, it鈥檚 constantly rebuilding 鈥� make snow, push snow,鈥� Dougherty said.
-Emily Caminiti
Warmer winters feed into growth and spread of invasive plants in 黑料吃瓜网
The warm winter is making it easier for invasive plants to grow, spread and thrive in 黑料吃瓜网 and across New England.
According to the 黑料吃瓜网 Invasive Plants Council, the state has more than 90 identified invasive plant species, which can arrive from more southern states through bird migrations and the wind. Those invasive plants are thriving because of warmer temperatures, sunlight and moisture.
鈥淲hen [the] growing season gets warmer, gets longer 鈥� that just gives our invasive plants a greater opportunity to expand,鈥� said Bonnie Burr with UConn鈥檚 College of Agriculture, Health and Natural Resources. 鈥淲e see them become much more dense in terms of how they infiltrate within our native plant populations.鈥�
-Michayla Savitt
Milder winters mean 黑料吃瓜网's ticks are now active all year long
Milder, shorter winters in 黑料吃瓜网 have all but eliminated tick 鈥渟easons鈥� as state officials now say ticks are active year-round.
The state鈥檚 Active Tick Surveillance Program used to get 50 tick specimens from December to March. But in recent months, it鈥檚 received 800, according to Dr. Goudarz Molaei, with the 黑料吃瓜网 Agricultural Experiment Station.
More mild winters can keep ticks from going dormant and also reduce mortality, leading to a population increase. It also means they can present a bigger danger to people.
鈥淥nce the temperature increases to above freezing ... close to 40 degrees,鈥� Molaei said, 鈥渢hey come out and actively seek hosts.鈥�
-Michayla Savitt
黑料吃瓜网鈥檚 unseasonably warm winter is shaking up routines for some wildlife
The unseasonably warm winter is changing wildlife habits and befouling normal migrations in 黑料吃瓜网. As 黑料吃瓜网 Radio's Where We Live reports, coastal areas have seen rain, but very little snowfall.
That lack of snow can be beneficial for some anmials because they don't have to shuffle through snow to hunt for buried food. But it also means animals can鈥檛 use snow to hide from predators.
Jenny Dickson, director of the state鈥檚 wildlife division, said warm winters could also have long-term impacts on animals who hibernate and then wake up after its been warm for a while 鈥� potentially missing out on key prey items.
鈥淲hat does that do?鈥� Dickson asked. 鈥淗ow does that change their ability to find food once they do wake up?鈥�
Dickson said the warm weather has less of an impact on bears, whose hibernation is tied more to "denning" behavior than to weather patterns.
But for birds, some northern species have left the state to seek colder areas, Dickson said. Birds like waterfowl and bald eagles have been seen in 黑料吃瓜网 longer than expected because bodies of water aren鈥檛 frozen and continue to provide a source of food.
-Michayla Savitt
