Project Summary

Ice storms have expensive and sometimes deadly effects on major population centers in the GL region. This project investigated changes in the spatial and temporal distribution of ice storms, including possible links to climate change, extending the most recent GL freezing rain climatology (1976-1990) through 2021. A northward shift in freezing rain incidence is found across the GL on an
annual basis, accompanied by a seasonal trend toward winter, with more frequent freezing rain occurrence in January and fewer incidences of freezing rain in the fall and spring months of November and March, respectively. This is consistent with warmer temperatures and northwardmoving extratropical cyclone tracks. Observed trends have generally matched and outpaced model
projections.