Feeling warm? Windsor-Essex is losing 2 weeks of snowy, wintery days each winter

In the past decade, cities in Canada have lost weeks' worth of winter snow days each year because of climate change. In their place, days of rain, melt and mud.

That's according to a new analysis by Climate Central, a climate research and communications non-profit.

The southwestern Ontario region that includes Windsor-Essex lost 14 below-zero days as a result of climate change, while Toronto lost 13 days, and even Montreal and Calgary have lost six and five days below zero, respectively, per year.

The report averages data over the last decade. Nanaimo, B.C. topped the list with 18 lost winter days. 

Kristina Dahl, vice president for science at Climate Central, said these recent changes are very noticeable because snow turns to rain when the temperature rises above freezing at 0 C.

"Across Canada, we're seeing the loss of cold winter days because of climate change, and that impacts things like winter sports and recreation, but also our economies, the tourism industry," she said.

"The longer we continue to burn fossil fuels like coal, oil and gas, the worse this problem is going to become."

Dahl said the loss of days is significant — and the data backs up what people are noticing.

"Those experiences when the pond in my backyard used to freeze over for all of winter and I could skate on it and it doesn't anymore," Dahl said. "This data really validates that experience."

Jeff Casey in Windsor is seeing it firsthand.

Winter days meant setting up an ice rink in the backyard – a proud family tradition Casey oversaw for a decade – but now just isn't possible.

"We're not getting cold weather anymore, not like we used to anyways," Casey said.

"In fact this year and last year I haven't even bothered to build one."

While his kids still want him to build a rink, Casey said it's not worth it. In 2022, the last time he built a rink, he said they only got two days of skating in.