Warm Weather Wipes Out Ski Season
By Matt Rupel
Junior Dane Kornasiewicz loves to ski, but this year he left his gear at home in Colorado.
When Kornasiewicz went home for the winter break, he bought a seven-day pass and hit the slopes.
"It was the worst skiing of my life," he said.
According to Kornasiewicz, he can usually expect some really nice powder in December, but there was barely any snow this year.
Last year, he took four trips to Tahoe during the winter quarter, but he isn't counting on any this year. "Normally I bring my gear out to California with me, but this year I didn't even bother because I know the skiing will be sub-par."
According to a report from CNN, snowfall this last December was at its lowest in almost 50 years. Not everyone is disappointed in the lack of snowfall. The warm, brown winter that has disappointed snow lovers in much of the U.S. has put more green in the pockets of state and local governments that had their budgets busted last year by the high cost of keeping streets and highways clear.
Cities that normally spend millions on salt, sand and snowplows are happily saving the money for other purposes. Some are even taking advantage of the mild weather to carry on with outdoor projects that would usually have to wait until spring.
"There's a sigh of relief," said Chris Sagsveen, who manages road and bridge operations in Hennepin County, Minnesota's most populous because it includes Minneapolis.
In 2011, his department spent its entire snow-removal budget for the year by the end of March. He dreaded the potential for another fearsome winter. But the county barely spent a penny in the final months of 2011. So far this year, it hasn't tapped the snow budget once.
Chicago spent just $500,000 on plowing in December, down from $6 million a year earlier. In Buffalo, N.Y., public works overtime is down by 25 percent, and the city has saved more than $300,000 on salt.
Syracuse, N.Y., one of New York's snowiest cities, has had 13 inches this winter compared to an unusually heavy 77 inches by this time last year. Public Works Commissioner Pete O'Connor said he's saved $500,000 in salt, overtime and fuel.
In St. Paul, where a few meager snowfalls have melted within days, the temperature hit a record 52 on Tuesday — a reading more appropriate for April.
"South Dakota would have all sorts of people moving here if our winters were always like this," Huber said. The season's cost so far? Less than $200,000.
Jim Cusick, a state employee in St. Paul, has been able to run his radiators less and catch up on an out-of-control home heating bill aggravated by the big, drafty old house where he lives with five of his six kids.
By last winter, Cusick said, he owed his utility more than $3,000 in back payments. As of this month, he said, his negative balance is down to $650.
"It's a bummer for the kids. They miss the skating and stuff. But if winter stays mild, life will be better," Cusick said.
At businesses that rely on heavy snow and ice to attract customers, the mild weather is most unwelcome.
Chicago hardware store owner Steve Lipshutz put in big orders for snow shovels and other supplies. He bought sleds for the first time. Hardly any of it has sold.
In Farmington, Conn., Karl Westerberg — whose KDM Services sells ice-melting products — tries to stay hopeful.
"I'm not panicking," he said. "We've got plenty of winter left."
Contact Matt Rupel at mrupel@scu.edu or call (408) 554-4849. The Associated Press contributed to this report.