SARANAC LAKE, N.Y. (WCAX) – Saranac Lake, often known as an Adirondack snow globe where winter activities are in abundance, is breaking new ground with historic high temperatures.
The National Weather Service says this season has been the warmest since they’ve been keeping records.
“It came out to 24.1 degrees, so that beat the previous record from 2015-2016, it looks like it beat by six-tenths of a degree, so a pretty large margin,” said Seth Kutikoff, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service in Burlington.
The warmup has had an impact on recreational activities like skiing.
“Definitely the shortest on record for what we keep for records for tubing and skiing which dates back to the early ‘90s, late ‘80s,” said Andy Testo, the ski area manager for the village of Saranac Lake.
Testo says Mount Pisgah will likely close before the end of March due to the warmer weather.
“Probably one of our final days. It is unexpected. On the short end side of things, we are probably about 25, 30 days short on skier traffic days and we lost a fair amount of days that we would also be open for snow tubing this winter, too,” Testo said.
Saranac Lake isn’t a stranger to mild winters, but Curt Stager, a professor of natural science at Paul Smith’s College, says the frequency in which the area experiences warmer winters will only increase due to climate change.
“The difference is because the whole planet is warming and we are warming along with it, the baseline temperatures are going up and lifting everything up, so when we fluctuate, we fluctuate at a warmer level,” Stager said.
Warmer levels that he says affect more than Adirondack recreation.
“The less ice you have, the longer the lake is exposed to the warmth of summer. That can have water quality effects, it can affect fish in the lake and things like that,” Stager said.
In the meantime, people in charge of recreation will look for creative solutions, like producing more man-made snow, to ensure winter activities continue to be an Adirondack staple.