This winter's cold snap doesn't reflect long-term climate trends

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) - The weather in 2025 began on an unusual note in Western Pennsylvania and over a large portion of the central and eastern United States.

Through January 22, each day this month in Pittsburgh has averaged below normal except the 1st, 13th, 17th, and 18th which yields an average January temperature of 22.2°F. January 2025 is the 14th coldest January on record in Pittsburgh's available records so far (through January 22).

This January has been cold enough to force winter 2024-25 to preliminarily average out below normal. Preliminary seasonal climate data for Pittsburgh shows winter 2024-25 averaging out 2.5°F below the 1991-2020 climate normal period which is a sharp contrast to how the winters of 2022-23 and 2023-24 performed.

Often, cold periods and cold snaps cause some to question the validity of a warming climate. These cold snaps and cold periods are indications of variability in day-to-day weather patterns, while averages of annual weather patterns reflect changes in climate.

The bottom line is that long-term averages in Pittsburgh, and multiple cities across the U.S. and the globe still show a long-term warming trend. 

Last year, the World Meteorological Organization confirmed 2024 as the warmest year on record with the years 2015-2024 falling within the top 10 warmest years on record. Not only was 2024 the warmest year from a global perspective, but it was also Pittsburgh's warmest year ever recorded. 

Pittsburgh's temperature was above average every month last year, and it is likely that this January will be the city's first below-average month since June 2023.

Average winter temperatures in Pittsburgh have warmed an average of 5°F between 1970-2024 and the lowest temperature of the year has warmed an average of 8.3°F. 

What does this mean? It means that extreme cold blasts like the ones we've experienced over the last several weeks have become less frequent and less intense over the last several decades, pushing the seasonal average temperature higher.