The forecast is changing. And so are traditions.
As sun rises over the freshly frozen Lake Mendota, the serene morning air is interrupted by the rhythmic echoes of a drill. For a lake dominated by ice fishing, the sound often signals the beginning of a day on the frozen lake. For Clean Lakes Alliance’s Adam Sodersten, it signifies the challenge of the warming winters in Madison. Sodersten isn’t searching for a catch, he’s looking for eight inches of good ice to hold the Clean Lakes Alliance’s Frozen Assets Festival.
Unfortunately for Sodersten, the ice was not strong enough to hold the festival this winter season. This setback was just one among many challenges encountered by organizations in Madison that engage with outdoor activities, all grappling with the effects of unusually warm winter conditions.
Climate change and the influence of El Niño have contributed to Madison’s record-breaking high temperatures and dangerous ice coverage. El Niño brings about warmer ocean temperatures in the tropical Pacific, influencing the global atmospheric jet stream and leading to milder winters in Wisconsin, according to the Assistant State Climatologist of Wisconsin Bridgette Mason.
This winter, organizations have canceled or modified countless outdoor activities and winter traditions in response to this changing climate. Madison residents have had to find new approaches to navigate these challenges.
The future of Wisconsin winters is unknown, and residents are left to prepare for a future where snow-filled seasons may be a thing of the past. “It’s kind of crazy to think for the next generation it might be totally normal to have winters without snow,” said Rose Eisenmenger, University of Wisconsin-Madison Hoofer Outing Club Canoe chair and Outdoor UW staff.
This year, Lake Mendota froze on Jan. 15, which is the third latest freeze-up since records began in the 1850s, according to the Wisconsin State Climatology Office. The freeze was short-lived, with warm temperatures causing the lake to start melting just a few weeks later. This marked the second shortest duration of freeze ever recorded for Lake Mendota, lasting only 44 days, Mason said.
Winter traditions that rely on the ice such as Sigma Alpha Epsilon’s Lily’s Classic hockey tournament and fundraiser, Wisconsin Union’s Winter Carnival and Clean Lakes Alliance’s 12th Annual Frozen Assets Festival were all canceled or modified this year due to the dangerous ice conditions.
“It was slushy, and it wasn’t strong ice. So we canceled the 5K saying, okay, we just can’t put a bunch of people out there,” Clean Lakes Alliance’s Marketing and Communications Director Adam Sodersten said.
The Frozen Assets Festival is not just a race on ice. It is a fundraiser that gets over 1,000 people down to the lake and teaches them why they should support clean lakes. Canceling traditions like these undermines the efforts of organizations like Clean Lakes Alliance, which strive to educate the community.
It is not just popular festivals that bring visitors to Madison, many come to ice fish on the frozen lakes or to engage in many other fun winter activities.
“A lot of local business benefits from winter tourism,” Sodersten said. When the weather is extremely warm for a week in February, people get pulled out of that winter mindset.
“You know, it’s like a ski hill. If you don’t have snow in your backyard, it’s hard to know that there’s snow on the ski hill. The number one marketing for the ski hill is snow in your own backyard,” Sodersten said.
Ski hills around the Madison area such as Tyrol Basin Ski and Snowboard Area have also faced challenges with the warm weather and are adapting their strategies to overcome these obstacles.
“We’ve had a challenging winter with weather patterns,” said Nathan McGree, owner of Tyrol Basin. “People are believing that it’s impossible for us to have any snow. That perception is much more damaging to our business than actual climate change itself.”
Tyrol Basin was running with all 24 of their runs open for the majority of their season from November to early March. To make snow, the temperature must consistently be 28-29 degrees Fahrenheit or below. Due to the warm temperatures and lack of natural snow, 90% of the snow at Tyrol Basin was manmade.
Despite the warmer temperatures, many winter activities continued with slight adaptations and adjustments. McGree says they will continue to invest in their snowmaking systems and spread the word that they can be fully open during warmer winters. Additionally, while the Frozen Assets Festival 5K was canceled, the rest of the festivities were moved to The Edgewater Hotel where families were able to ice skate and learn about ice formations from the University of Wisconsin-Madison Center for Limnology.
After a challenging season, McGree still has high hopes for the future of Wisconsin winters. “Maybe it’ll continue to be a little bit warmer than we’ve typically seen in the past, but from what we’ve seen following an El Niño cycle, we go back to typically a very cold and wet and snow-heavy winter,” McGree said.
UW Hoofer Outing Club is an outdoor recreation club that plans and leads trips for members. Eisenmenger said that the club “definitely prides itself in being able to embrace winter in Madison and promote winter activities.”
While the weather has canceled many regular winter season outings such as snowshoeing, ice skating and cross-country skiing, the club has been flexible and changed plans according to the weather. “So, on a day like today, [our club] can go on hikes or bike rides or runs. And then on a day like tomorrow, if it snows a little, try to enjoy the snow,” Eisenmenger said.
These changes aren’t ideal, and climate change still is a big concern for Madison residents like Eisenmenger. The average annual global temperature has been steadily increasing since the 1960s, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association.
“I definitely think [climate change] is really concerning and it’s really sad to see a winter with almost no snow and ice,” Eisenmenger said. “I think it’s a good wake-up call for a lot of people in Wisconsin. Climate change is actually happening and actually having big impacts on our lifestyles.”
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