>> SENATOR SPREITZER, THANKS VERY MUCH.
>> THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME. >> THIS WINTER HAS SEEN RECORD
HIGH TEMPERATURES CAUSED BY A MIXTURE OF AN UNCOMMON WEATHER
EVENT CALLED EL NIÑO. AND THE MORE COMMON CLIMATE
CHANGE. THOSE WARM TEMPERATURES CAUSED A
SURPRISE TORNADO IN EVANSVILLE LAST WEEK, CAUSING AN ESTIMATED
$2.4 MILLION WORTH OF DAMAGE. "HERE AND NOW" REPORTER ADITI
DEBNATH HAS MORE ON WHAT A WARMING CLIMATE MEANS FOR
WISCONSIN. >> AT THE START OF THE NEW YEAR,
HEAVY WINTER STORMS HIT MUCH OF WISCONSIN.
ALONG WITH BITTER COLD, STORMS BROUGHT MORE SNOWFALL THAN THE
STATE SAW IN ALL OF DECEMBER COMBINED.
ALTHOUGH THAT'S SNOWSTORM WAS NOT ABNORMAL FOR A WISCONSIN
WINTER, THE SUBZERO COLD FELT EXTREME BECAUSE TEMPERATURES
BEFORE AND AFTER THE STORMS WERE ABOVE FREEZING.
FEBRUARY RETURNS BACK TO THE UNUSUALLY WARM TEMPERATURES THAT
MARKED THE BEGINNING OF THIS WINTER.
THE UNSEASONAL WARMTH IS LIKELY DUE TO CLIMATE CHANGE AND A
WEATHER EVENT CALLED EL NIÑO, WHEN RISING TEMPERATURES IN THE
PACIFIC OCEAN CAUSE A WARMER WINTER AND LESS SNOWFALL.
IT ALSO MEANS A DRY WINTER. A DRY EL NIÑO WINTER COULD
PROLONG THE EFFECTS OF DROUGHT CONDITIONS IN A THIRD OF THE
STATE. FARMERS.
BECAUSE IT'S WARM DURING THE DAY, AT NIGHT, IT'S BELOW
FREEZING SO THE SOIL STAYS FROZEN.
THE FROZEN SOIL IS UNABLE TO ABSORB THE SNOW MELT AND REMAINS
DRY UNTIL THE SPRING THAW, AT WHICH TIME FARMERS NEED WET SOIL
TO GERMINATE YOUNG CROPS. THIS DECEMBER MARKED WISCONSIN'S
WARMEST AND DRIEST ON RECORD, WITH TEMPERATURES BETWEEN 5 AND
9° WARMER THAN AVERAGE. ABOUT 740,000 WISCONSIN
RESIDENTS CURRENTLY LIVE IN AREAS OF DROUGHT, PARTICULARLY
IN THE NORTHERN PART OF THE STATE.
WHILE EL NIÑO COMES ALONG EVERY THREE TO FIVE YEARS, THE EFFECTS
OF CLIMATE CHANGE COULD BRING THESE CONDITIONS IN MORE
WISCONSIN WINTERS TO COME. WISCONSIN WINTERS TO COME.