{"id":305449,"date":"2024-03-01T17:03:00","date_gmt":"2024-03-01T16:03:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=305449"},"modified":"2024-03-01T17:03:02","modified_gmt":"2024-03-01T16:03:02","slug":"the-des-moines-register-misses-the-possible-benefits-of-research-suggesting-that-climate-change-will-cause-fewer-blizzards","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=305449","title":{"rendered":"The Des Moines Register Misses the Possible Benefits of Research Suggesting That Climate Change Will Cause Fewer Blizzards"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

From ClimateRealism<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

By Anthony Watts<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

An article in the Des Moines Register<\/em> (DMR) titled Are you tired of yearly blizzards? Well, Iowa could see fewer blizzards in the years ahead<\/a>, reports on a study<\/a> from the University of Nebraska in Lincoln predicting that the Midwest, including Iowa, will likely see a declining number of blizzards due to climate change. While this result is uncertain, if true, the DMR should be reporting it as a benefit of climate change because blizzards cause millions of dollars in damage and hundreds of deaths every year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The study used computer models projections to estimate a decline in blizzards, yet as Climate Realism<\/a> has discussed numerous times in the past, the models themselves are unreliable, and thus of questionable utility for this purpose. Even the author Liang Chen admitted as much.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201c[T]here is no study looking at how they [blizzards] will change in the future, based on climate simulations,\u201d Chen told DMR. \u201cThe major reason is: It\u2019s hard to quantify.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Also the data that do exist provide no evidence for a declining trend in blizzards, despite modest warming. According to the study:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In this study, we analyzed historical blizzard occurrences using the observed storm event database, which shows that the Northern Plains, such as North Dakota, South Dakota, and Minnesota, had the most blizzard activities over the past 25 years. No significant trend in blizzard occurrence is found in those regions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The DMR ignores the fact that were the prediction of fewer blizzards and a decline in extreme cold storms to prove true, this would be a benefit, rather than something to be bemoaned. More than 400 people die<\/a> during blizzards in the United States, alone, each year. Also, as Climate Realism<\/em> has pointed out repeatedly, here<\/a>, here<\/a>, and here<\/a>, for example, cold weather kills far more people each year than hot weather. As the climate has modestly warmed, the number of deaths attributed to non-optimum temperatures has fallen dramatically.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Regardless, trying to tease a future trend in blizzards out of climate computer models for a relatively small geographic region, much less for the particular state of Iowa,  is fraught with uncertainty<\/a>, often no better than a coin flip. The world has been naturally and gently warming since the end of the little Ice Age in 1850<\/a>. During that time no trend in blizzards was reported in the historical data. If a trend in blizzards for the Midwest did not emerge with over 150 years of warming, it is also unlikely to emerge in the future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It seems that this is just another example of the media blindly reporting on climate science without fully understanding the uncertainties and full implications of the research they are writing about.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

An article in the\u00a0Des Moines Register\u00a0(DMR) titled\u00a0Are you tired of yearly blizzards? Well, Iowa could see fewer blizzards in the years ahead, reports on a\u00a0study\u00a0from the University of Nebraska in Lincoln predicting that the Midwest, including Iowa, will likely see a declining number of blizzards due to climate change. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":121246920,"featured_media":305454,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_coblocks_attr":"","_coblocks_dimensions":"","_coblocks_responsive_height":"","_coblocks_accordion_ie_support":"","_crdt_document":"","advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"An article in the\u00a0Des Moines Register\u00a0(DMR) titled\u00a0Are you tired of yearly blizzards? Well, Iowa could see fewer blizzards in the years ahead, reports on a\u00a0study\u00a0from the University of Nebraska in Lincoln predicting that the Midwest, including Iowa, will ","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[1],"tags":[691827328,691818056,691819102,691827327],"class_list":{"0":"post-305449","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","6":"hentry","7":"category-uncategorized","8":"tag-blizzards","9":"tag-climate-change","10":"tag-computer-models","11":"tag-des-moines-register-dmr","13":"fallback-thumbnail"},"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/087a01d26-7c09-4d95-bb4a-647a5c3cde2d-201229-IA_Snow_early-004.webp?fit=2743%2C1543&ssl=1","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/paxLW1-1hsB","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":218427,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=218427","url_meta":{"origin":305449,"position":0},"title":"Australia Skiing Doomed","author":"uwe.roland.gross","date":"11\/09\/2022","format":false,"excerpt":"Resorts are also going to become more reliant on big snow dumps such as this weekend's blizzard \u2013 after a poor start to the season \u2013 as the frequency of smaller, top-up snowfalls diminish.","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/image-576.png?fit=1024%2C579&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/image-576.png?fit=1024%2C579&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/image-576.png?fit=1024%2C579&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/image-576.png?fit=1024%2C579&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":428414,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=428414","url_meta":{"origin":305449,"position":1},"title":"Past storms put climate warriors in their place","author":"uwe.roland.gross","date":"27\/02\/2026","format":false,"excerpt":"This is the second in a Series I am doing on the NE Coastal Arc storm this past weekend. This is to show a few other storms that have happened before, out of, believe me, many I could use that in some way, shape or form had aspects greater than\u2026","rel":"","context":"In \"1895 storm\"","block_context":{"text":"1895 storm","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?tag=1895-storm"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/0Screenshot-2026-02-27-152503.png?fit=1200%2C781&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/0Screenshot-2026-02-27-152503.png?fit=1200%2C781&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/0Screenshot-2026-02-27-152503.png?fit=1200%2C781&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/0Screenshot-2026-02-27-152503.png?fit=1200%2C781&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/0Screenshot-2026-02-27-152503.png?fit=1200%2C781&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":238579,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=238579","url_meta":{"origin":305449,"position":2},"title":"MSNBC Lets Eco-Alarmist Michael Mann Link Blizzard To Global Warming","author":"uwe.roland.gross","date":"08\/01\/2023","format":false,"excerpt":"The\u00a0leftist scientist\u00a0from Pennsylvania State University\u00a0went on to praise the environmental regulations\u00a0recently\u00a0passed by the Democrat-controlled Congress","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/0mann-2_1170x880_acf_cropped-1.jpg?fit=1170%2C880&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/0mann-2_1170x880_acf_cropped-1.jpg?fit=1170%2C880&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/0mann-2_1170x880_acf_cropped-1.jpg?fit=1170%2C880&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/0mann-2_1170x880_acf_cropped-1.jpg?fit=1170%2C880&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/0mann-2_1170x880_acf_cropped-1.jpg?fit=1170%2C880&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":414218,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=414218","url_meta":{"origin":305449,"position":3},"title":"Captain Scott\u2019s 1912 Antarctic tragedy","author":"uwe.roland.gross","date":"22\/11\/2025","format":false,"excerpt":"A little over two months earlier (17 January 1912), Captain Scott and his companions arrived at the South Pole only to discover that the Norwegians were there first. The Norwegian party led by Roald Amundsen reached the South Pole on 14 December 1911. Extremely disappointed, Scott and his men began\u2026","rel":"","context":"In \"Antarctic tragedy\"","block_context":{"text":"Antarctic tragedy","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?tag=antarctic-tragedy"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/0AQNB7hzmELwfNdRBmJbLN2_RVzzva4qc-xQIe5vu1dlvMipbQA6dYNlaGTtWtiUinTZbAOxBBVImco0L-aV8xicZVVOwXFILtUb1IxHEZS-feFAD617LEKU374jU3oEK-1.jpeg?fit=1200%2C783&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/0AQNB7hzmELwfNdRBmJbLN2_RVzzva4qc-xQIe5vu1dlvMipbQA6dYNlaGTtWtiUinTZbAOxBBVImco0L-aV8xicZVVOwXFILtUb1IxHEZS-feFAD617LEKU374jU3oEK-1.jpeg?fit=1200%2C783&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/0AQNB7hzmELwfNdRBmJbLN2_RVzzva4qc-xQIe5vu1dlvMipbQA6dYNlaGTtWtiUinTZbAOxBBVImco0L-aV8xicZVVOwXFILtUb1IxHEZS-feFAD617LEKU374jU3oEK-1.jpeg?fit=1200%2C783&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/0AQNB7hzmELwfNdRBmJbLN2_RVzzva4qc-xQIe5vu1dlvMipbQA6dYNlaGTtWtiUinTZbAOxBBVImco0L-aV8xicZVVOwXFILtUb1IxHEZS-feFAD617LEKU374jU3oEK-1.jpeg?fit=1200%2C783&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/0AQNB7hzmELwfNdRBmJbLN2_RVzzva4qc-xQIe5vu1dlvMipbQA6dYNlaGTtWtiUinTZbAOxBBVImco0L-aV8xicZVVOwXFILtUb1IxHEZS-feFAD617LEKU374jU3oEK-1.jpeg?fit=1200%2C783&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":428133,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=428133","url_meta":{"origin":305449,"position":4},"title":"A blizzard of climate delusion and deceit","author":"uwe.roland.gross","date":"26\/02\/2026","format":false,"excerpt":"This is the face I have chosen to exemplify this title. There are so many more that could be, but Kathy Hochul\u2019s little talk on the blizzard shows a level of ignorance that renders it laughable. If it were not being eaten up by so many people who vote people\u2026","rel":"","context":"In \"bomb cyclone\"","block_context":{"text":"bomb cyclone","link":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?tag=bomb-cyclone"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/0Blizzard-snow-trees.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/0Blizzard-snow-trees.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/0Blizzard-snow-trees.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/0Blizzard-snow-trees.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/0Blizzard-snow-trees.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":235885,"url":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/?p=235885","url_meta":{"origin":305449,"position":5},"title":"US winter storm: \u201aHistoric\u2018 weather event hits US as temperatures plunge as low as -45C","author":"uwe.roland.gross","date":"24\/12\/2022","format":false,"excerpt":"A tough lead-up to Christmas for the US and Canada thanks to this Arctic blast, as the media are calling it. Colourful claims about the \u2018rapidly warming Arctic\u2019 may have been overdone.","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/0bomb-cyclone-us.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/0bomb-cyclone-us.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/0bomb-cyclone-us.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/0bomb-cyclone-us.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/climatescience.press\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/0bomb-cyclone-us.jpg?fit=1200%2C675&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/305449","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/121246920"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=305449"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/305449\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":305456,"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/305449\/revisions\/305456"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/305454"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=305449"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=305449"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/climatescience.press\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=305449"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}