Shorter cold snaps; Another trend showing milder winters

SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- Temperatures this winter have been mild, a trend reflected in shorter cold snaps.

A cold snap is a period of consecutive days where the average daily temperature remains below normal. There haven’t been a lot of days below normal this winter, let alone a streak of days. We had a short cold snap this week, with chilly temperatures both Wednesday and Thursday. This two day streak is one of the longer streaks we've seen this winter.

The longest streak so far was in January, and was just three days long. This number is down from the past few seasons. Last year, the longest cold snap lasted seven days. In 2018, the longest cold snap was much longer, lasting fourteen days. In 2017, the longest cold snap lasted for eight days.

Typically, each winter we see cold snaps that last about ten days or longer. This means for ten consecutive days, temperatures stay below normal. According to a study by Climate Central, South Bend's cold snaps are now, on average, four days shorter.

This is a trend that is not only occurring here in Michiana, but across the country. Some locations are seeing cold snaps that are as many as eight days shorter than normal.

Temperatures are warmer this weekend, but we could have another short cold snap next week as temperatures drop.