WATAUGA COUNTY, N.C. — All four seasons are warming, but winter is increasing at a faster rate here in the Carolinas.

This may sound enjoyable to those who don’t like the cold, but extreme seasonal warming can have impacts on health, fire danger, farming, and the water supply.

Warmer and shorter winters may cause an early arrival to spring, which can lead to an earlier pollen season and more agricultural water demands.

Apple, cherry, peach trees, as well as nut crops, need a certain number of chilling hours to efficiently produce. Chilling hours are the number of hours between 45 and 32 degrees. If it’s not the right temperature for the right amount of time, crops can’t grow properly.

This means changing winters can eventually modify which crops can be grown in the Carolinas.

Warmer w

See Full Page