As winter comes to an end, some Massachusetts residents feel as though it never really began.
In recent years, Boston has faced increasingly warmer winters. According to data from Climate Central, Boston’s average winter temperatures have increased by 3.7 degrees Fahrenheit since 1970.
While weather reports from NBC Boston indicate that 2025 marks Boston’s coldest winter since 2015, there have still only been 28.1 inches of snowfall compared to the city’s winter norm of 33.8 inches.
This winter might feel deceptively harsher than others, but this is owed to the fact that last year’s winter was a meteorological anomaly, with only 9.7 inches of snowfall at this point last February. And, even though the total snowfall this year is approaching winter’s seasonal norm, when the snow does fall, it doesn’t come at nearly the same volume as it used to.
This winter, “A single event hasn’t produced more than about 5.5 inches in Greater Boston,” NBC weather reports indicate.
Around Northeastern’s campus, students born and bred in New England can’t help but compare the winters they grew up with to the conditions they observe now.
“I used to climb the snow banks with my cousins, and they were massive — twice my size. When they froze over, we could literally sit on top of them,” said Halima Duarte, a fourth-year business administration and psychology combined major from Taunton. “It even got to the height where my tallest cousin could sit on top of the shed because the snow was piled up so high.”
The snow storms of Duarte’s childhood, it seems, will remain a distant memory.
“There aren’t snow banks anymore. There’s barely anything. The only thing that’s an inconvenience when it comes to the snow is when it freezes over and people are slipping on the sidewalk,” Duarte said. “Now, to be honest, I don’t even take [the news] seriously when I see a ‘winter warning.’”
The shift is noticeable, and Massachusetts natives are increasingly concerned. Whereas some first-years who aren’t from the region are caught off-guard, Esme Venton, a Massachusetts native, knows that today’s winters are an exception to the rule.
“Some of my best memories growing up are playing in blizzards,” said Venton, a second-year physics major from Dover. “Now, I just haven’t had that same experience. … I get excited over a few inches of snow, whereas before, feet would be the expected norm.”
NBC weather reports do not anticipate any further increase in snowfall to supplement Boston’s seasonal total. Besides, it’s not only about the volume of snow, but the duration of winter weather.
“It used to start snowing a lot earlier. I remember around Halloween, there would be the first dusting. Then, around Thanksgiving, there would be a couple inches, and then it would keep going until March,” said John Chronopoulos, a second-year journalism major from Dover. “Now, it doesn’t start till late December, early January. When I was a kid, it lasted a lot longer.”
The weather that marks peak cold season now pales in comparison to the heavy snowfalls and whiteouts that Chronopoulos experienced growing up.
“What was going on in late January and earlier this [February] was what it was like in the beginning of winter when I was a kid,” Chronopoulos said. “The peak of it now was barely how it would start before.”
Beyond Boston, the implications of warmer winters run deeper than most realize. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, as temperatures rise nationwide, less snow accumulates, lakes remain frozen for shorter periods and soil moisture declines due to increased evaporation. These shifts strain water supplies — especially in western states that rely on snowpack — and pose a serious threat to the country’s $12 billion to $20 billion winter recreation and tourism industry.
On a global level, NASA has officially declared 2024 as Earth’s warmest year on record. Despite projections of a cooler new year, this January was the hottest ever January on record.
Whereas some students from warmer climates were nervous for the colder weather, others were excited to experience their first real winter.
“A lot of my friends are from California — the Bay Area, so they’ll say, ‘Oh, I heard we’re going to get four inches of snow. That’s so exciting,’ and I’ll be like, ‘Just wait until we get feet of snow,’” Venton said. “But sometimes, that feels like an empty promise.”
