A mild winter so far – how it measures

The Midwest Regional Climate Center quantifies the severity of any given winter based on a number of variables. The “Accumulated Winter Season Severity Index”, unsurprisingly, classifies this winter as “mild”. This winter barely hits the threshold of mild… it’s been a very watered-down winter so far, as we know. Here’s the explanation of what the AWSSI is and how it’s derived.

Winter seasons have significant societal impacts across all sectors ranging from direct human health and mortality to commerce, transportation, and education. The question “How severe was this winter?” does not have a simple answer. At the very least, the severity of a winter is related to the intensity and persistence of cold weather, the amount of snow, and the amount and persistence of snow on the ground. The Accumulated Winter Season Severity Index (AWSSI) was developed to objectively quantify and describe the relative severity of the winter season.

Midwest Regional Climate Center