The upside of a warm winter
Basketball players from St. Patrick's basketball from Smithtown and St. James play in shorts in East Hill Park in Smithtown on a day when temperatures reached 61 (Jan. 7, 2012). Credit: Ed Betz
This winter, here on Long Island and across the country, people are singing a new tune: Baby, it's warm outside.
If unseasonably mild temperatures become the new winter norm year after year, that will pose problems -- by raising sea levels, for instance. Meanwhile, look at the bright side. So far this year, shivering and snow-shoveling are way down in Nassau and Suffolk counties.
Then there's the economy. Sellers of heating oil and road salt may be hurting, but this winter's unseasonably high temperatures are likely providing a much-needed boost to consumers, and thus to the businesses many they patronize.
It's hard to tease hard evidence from the economic data, but blizzards dampen or delay economic activity by keeping people away from work as well as the mall. We've already seen higher retail sales, and the absence of snow-induced shutdowns should boost productivity. Mild weather is good for construction, too. Best of all, higher temperatures mean lower heating bills, which should produce a nice little stimulus for a national economy showing increasing signs of recovery.
Milder weather doesn't just keep the roads open and the cash registers humming; it also makes people feel better. Did you know that sunny days are correlated with rising stock prices?
In the long run, warmer temperatures are a threat. But this winter, on Long Island, they've been a bit of a boon.
