
It is no surprise if the past few months have not been the winter wonderland you were hoping for.
Recently, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's National Climate Report found that February 2020 was the second warmest February ever. It also said that it was the third warmest month ever in its variation from average monthly temperatures — only February and March 2016 were farther off average temperatures, but those were spurred a powerful El Niño system, as Scientific American reported.
The thought of quiet streets blanketed in snow and parks filled with children sledding seems like a distant memory for cities in the northeast U.S., which are on track for the least amount of snow days ever, as CNN reported.
With spring set to begin on Thursday night, it seems certain that winter 2020 will set the record for the least amount of snow days in a number of cities, including Baltimore; Providence, Rhode Island; Philadelphia; New York City, Newark, New Jersey; Bridgeport, Connecticut; and Harrisburg, Pennsylvania — none of which reported measurable snowfall (0.01 inches) for the entire month of February, according to CNN.
As AccuWeather noted, above average February temperatures set over 1,000 records in the U.S. alone.
"The 10 warmest Februarys on record globally have all occurred since 1998," AccuWeather senior meteorologist Brett Anderson said.
The average temperature in the Northern Hemisphere was 4 degrees Fahrenheit above the 20th century average, according to CBS News. That number would have been higher if it were not for a record cold snap in Alaska and Western Canada.
"February 2020 was one for the record books across some areas of the East in terms of a lack of snow," tweeted the National Weather Service Eastern Region. "Baltimore (BWI) MD and Islip NY recorded no snow in Feb for the 1st time. JFK and LGA airports in NYC and Atlantic City NJ needed the leap day to see their only Feb snow flurries."
The almost-snowless season has meant that Philadelphia has seen only 0.3 inches of snow during the fall of 2019 and the winter of 2020. Boston, which is often pummeled by Nor'easters and snowstorms, has seen only 11 total days with snow, which ties the 1979-1980 season for the least amount of snow, according to CNN. Furthermore, since Jan. 1, Boston has had only 3.6 inches of snow — the least amount ever recorded for the period between January and March.
As CNN noted, Boston's snowy season averages over 3 feet of snow, at 37.7 inches. This year, thanks to some heavy snow at the end of November and the beginning of December, the season total stands at 15.1 inches of snow. That low number almost guarantees that the 2019-2020 snow season will be far off historical norms.
It's not just the northeast U.S. dealing with paltry snowfall. The world's oldest ski race in Finland had to be canceled in February due to a lack of snow, while an area of southwest Russia near the border of Azerbaijan saw temperatures climb above 82 degrees Fahrenheit on Feb. 28, as Scientific American reported. Furthermore, Moscow's average temperatures were 11.3 degrees Fahrenheit above the 1981-2010 average.
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Gavin Newsom Sued for 'Completely Unacceptable' Approval of Oil and Gas Projects in California
By Brett Wilkins
Accusing California regulators of "reckless disregard" for public "health and safety," the environmental advocacy group Center for Biological Diversity on Wednesday sued the administration of Gov. Gavin Newsom for approving thousands of oil and gas drilling and fracking projects without the required environmental review.
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By Kate Whiting
From Greta Thunberg to Sir David Attenborough, the headline-grabbing climate change activists and environmentalists of today are predominantly white. But like many areas of society, those whose voices are heard most often are not necessarily representative of the whole.
1. Wangari Maathai
<p>In 2004, Professor Maathai made history as the <a href="https://www.nobelpeaceprize.org/Prize-winners/Prizewinner-documentation/Wangari-Maathai" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">first African woman to be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize</a> for her dedication to sustainable development, democracy and peace. She started the <a href="http://www.greenbeltmovement.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Green Belt Movement</a>, a community-based tree planting initiative that aims to reduce poverty and encourage conservation, in 1977. More than 51 million trees have been planted helping build climate resilience and empower communities, especially women and girls. Her environmental work is celebrated every year on <a href="http://www.greenbeltmovement.org/node/955" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Wangari Maathai Day on 3 March</a>.</p>2. Robert Bullard
<p>Known as the 'father of environmental justice,' Dr Bullard has <a href="https://www.unep.org/championsofearth/laureates/2020/robert-bullard" target="_blank">campaigned against harmful waste</a> being dumped in predominantly Black neighborhoods in the southern states of the U.S. since the 1970s. His first book, Dumping in Dixie, highlighted the link between systemic racism and environmental oppression, showing how the descendants of slaves were exposed to higher-than-average levels of pollutants. In 1994, his work led to the signing of the <a href="https://www.nrdc.org/experts/albert-huang/20th-anniversary-president-clintons-executive-order-12898-environmental-justice" target="_blank">Executive Order on Environmental Justice</a>, which the <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/presidential-actions/2021/01/27/executive-order-on-tackling-the-climate-crisis-at-home-and-abroad/" target="_blank">Biden administration is building on</a>.<br></p><span style="display:block;position:relative;padding-top:56.25%;" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="7983f54726debdd824f97f9ad3bdbb87"><iframe lazy-loadable="true" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/T_VjSGk8s18?rel=0" width="100%" height="auto" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" style="position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;"></iframe></span>
Pollution has a race problem. Elizabethwarren.com
3. John Francis
<p>Helping the clean-up operation after an oil spill in San Francisco Bay in January 1971 inspired Francis to <a href="https://planetwalk.org/about-john/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">stop taking motorized transport</a>. Instead, for 22 years, he walked everywhere. He also took a vow of silence that lasted 17 years, so he could listen to others. He has walked the width of the U.S. and sailed and walked through South America, earning the nickname "Planetwalker," and raising awareness of how interconnected people are with the environment.</p><span style="display:block;position:relative;padding-top:56.25%;" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="09b968e0e9964e31406954dcea45981d"><iframe lazy-loadable="true" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/vgQjL23_FoU?rel=0" width="100%" height="auto" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" style="position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;"></iframe></span>
4. Dr. Warren Washington
<p>A meteorology and climate pioneer, Dr. Washington was one of the first people to develop atmospheric computer models in the 1960s, which have helped scientists understand climate change. These models now also incorporate the oceans and sea ice, surface water and vegetation. In 2007, the <a href="https://www.cgd.ucar.edu/pcm/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Parallel Climate Model (PCM)</a> and <a href="https://www.cesm.ucar.edu/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Community Earth System Model (CESM)</a>, earned Dr. Washington and his colleagues the <a href="https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/peace/2007/summary/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Nobel Peace Prize</a>, as part of the <a href="https://www.ipcc.ch/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change</a>.</p><span style="display:block;position:relative;padding-top:56.25%;" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="09fbf6dc37f275f438a0d53ec0fe1874"><iframe lazy-loadable="true" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/bvJ4jTy2mTk?rel=0" width="100%" height="auto" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" style="position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;"></iframe></span>
5. Angelou Ezeilo
<p>Huge trees and hikes to pick berries during her childhood in upstate New York inspired Ezeilo to become an environmentalist and set up the <a href="https://gyfoundation.org/staff/Angelou-Ezeilo" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Greening Youth Foundation</a>, to educate future generations about the importance of preservation. Through its schools program and Youth Conservation Corps, the social enterprise provides access to nature to disadvantaged children and young people in the U.S. and West Africa. In 2019, Ezeilo published her book <em>Engage, Connect, Protect: Empowering Diverse Youth as Environmental Leaders</em>, co-written by her Pulitzer Prize-winning brother Nick Chiles.</p><span style="display:block;position:relative;padding-top:56.25%;" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="ce4547d4e5c0b9ad2927f19fd75bf4ab"><iframe lazy-loadable="true" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/YojKMfUvJMs?rel=0" width="100%" height="auto" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" style="position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;"></iframe></span>
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