Presque Isle has some of the fastest warming winters in the country according to a new analysis from research group Climate Central.
Shel Winkley, a meteorologist with the group says average winter temperatures in the Northern Maine city have risen 6.5 degrees since 1970.
"We still experience cold in the wintertime but not to the degree of what we experienced a maybe couple decades ago; what our parents and our grandparents got to experience maybe 20, 30 years ago," Winkley said.
Out of the more than 240 places the group analyzed, 98% had warming winters, Winkley said. Portland's temperatures rose 5.5 degrees on average while Bangor increased 4.1 degrees, according to the group.
"We’re not getting the colds like we used to, and part of that is because the planet as a whole is warming from heat trapping pollution," Winkley said.
Shorter cold seasons can disrupt local ecosystems, harm agriculture and hurt winter tourism, Winkley added.
Maine’s winter season is about two weeks shorter than it was a century ago, according to the state’s climate council.
