OPINION: You can’t live in Maine without having an opinion about winter. Some celebrate at the first snowfall, gleefully dancing among twirling flakes that cover the landscape. Others shrug off winter with a sigh of relief on the first day of spring. Some people feel both ways. It’s okay to have mixed feelings.
We can still find the magic in a snow day, as college students continue to build snowmen just like they always have. It’s also okay to complain about the bitterly cold days when the walk to an 8 a.m. class feels like a 1,000-mile trek.
Whether you love it or hate it, you can’t live in a cold place without making winter part of your identity; it’s a rite of passage for Mainers.
To the first-year, out-of-state students, we like to say, “You’ll see,” with a knowing smile of what’s to come during the winter season. We’ve built a community based on the shared understanding that we are all in this together, as evidenced by our parting words of “stay warm out there” instead of a goodbye. Even when Mother Nature forces us indoors, we bravely venture out anyway, plowing through the winter, both literally and figuratively and we take pride in it.
Naturally, mixed emotions arise when we come to the realization that our winters are changing.
Maine’s Climate Future, reports that the average annual snowfall in Maine has decreased by approximately 17% over the past century. The state has experienced fluctuating temperatures, leading to unpredictable freezes and thaws. Lakes that were once reliably frozen are now dangerous.
Our winters are also becoming shorter. I used to scoff at the idea of Groundhog Day. Whether or not he saw his shadow, we typically had at least six more weeks of winter ahead. In recent years, he’s been more accurate than he used to be.
Additionally, strange winters have led to other troubling consequences. Our moose population is being threatened by winter ticks, our winter tourism season is becoming shorter and who can forget the series of severe mid-winter wind storms that hit between late 2023 and early 2024?
We are uncertain about the future outcomes as we are facing unprecedented changes. The global mitigation efforts will play a crucial role. Even if we stopped emitting greenhouse gases tomorrow, the existing gases in the atmosphere would still cause Earth’s temperature to increase for several decades.
Don’t take our current winter for granted. While losing it may seem insignificant compared to the larger threats posed by climate change, it’s an integral part of our identities as Mainers. Even those who struggle through winter look forward to the warmer days ahead. The arrival of spring won’t be as enjoyable without a long winter.
Embrace our current cold and snowy days, cause they won’t be around as long. Make time to do your favorite snow activities such as skiing, sledding, taking a walk, having a snowball fight or simply watching the snow fall through the window. In times of uncertainty, it’s important to make the most of what our current winter brings us. Tomorrow will arrive, but today is a good day to go outside and make a snow angel.
