By: Simon Pluger

Scientists in Minnesota and around the world use WMI or the Winter Misery Index to show how severe that year’s winter season was after finding out how much it snowed and what the temperature was. Scientists give those certain categories a number ranking that determine where that year’s winter falls on a scale of moderate to severe.

Last year, the 2024/2025 winter season was called mild in the index chart. It was actually shown that it was one of the easiest and calmest winters that we’ve had in decades. The snow was very inconsistent. It would snow 7 inches one day and it would all melt and then it would be a 40° day for the next week and a half. 

But this year, the 2025/2026 winter is already a lot different. We have had snow, cold weather, and the snow has stayed making this winter a lot more wintry than last year’s. Even if we end up with only 10 or 15 more inches of snow than last year, the big difference is that the snow will have actually stayed and not just until January like last year when we had the weird 50° days that melted everything in January. We’re now in March and there’s still snow on the ground this year.

The weather has been so steady that the temperatures have stayed and the snow is piling up and not melting, which for some people could be really annoying because they like spring or for some people that could be really enjoyable because they like looking at the snow.

I like winter, but this just shows that Minnesota winters can be very unpredictable and just because last year’s winter wasn’t that cold, and there wasn’t that much snowfall, doesn’t mean the winter after that is the same.

For more information, please visit:

• https://worldweather.wmo.int/en/home.html