Need. More. Snow.

By on January 15, 2013 in

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Photo by Poka0059 (from Flickr Creative Commons)

Photo by Poka0059 (from Flickr Creative Commons)

(Forecast for 3-5 in Concord Wednesday but we need more than that!)

Climate change has a direct economic impact on the state of New Hampshire.

Coming off of the warmest year on record, and an unseasonably warm January, the small businesses that depend on winter tourism and snow related service and maintenance are suffering for a second year in a row.

What does cold weather and snow add to New Hampshire?

  • According to the New Hampshire Snowmobile Association snowmobiler spending was nearly $1.2 billion during the 2002-2003 season (latest figures on their website )
  • An economic impact study conducted after the 2009/10 season showed a total of $910 million dollars spent by guests visiting NH ski areas. Of that total, only 12% was spent directly at ski areas, with the remaining 88% spent on ski visit-related expenses such as lodging, restaurants, gas, tolls, retail, and other.

    According to Ski NH 

  • All the “Plow Guys” and the guys that fix the “Plow Guys” trucks and snowblowers are economically impacted by a lack of snow and cold. (I could not find a PlowGuy trade group…)

So while one might think it’s nice to be able to go for a 40° lunch time stroll in January, but while you stroll, might I suggest you contemplate the real economic impact climate change is having on our economy and your neighbors?

About Mike Hoefer

Mike has been an active member of Blue Hampshire from the early days, and currently serves as the managing editor.
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  • The Money Magician

    It’s too late. All the ski slopes south of the White’s are toast – it will be too warm for them soon, if not already. Because of the lack of white marketing (snow on the ground where skiers live), the rest are in deep trouble too. But it’s trivial anyway, compared, say, to the $100 billion for the Great U.S. Drought of 2012 and Sandy. I expect that shortages of grain will soon be the normal state, with attendant civil unrest in poorer countries like that which led to the Arab Spring (and the French Revolution).

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1005984738 Lucy C Edwards

    My husband and I bought each other snowshoes a year ago Christmas. We finally used them once we got some snow after this Christmas.
    Last summer my beautiful irises were stricken with a disease that when researched turned out to have had its chance at my plants because the previous winter had been warmer than usual.
    Last year our dirt driveway had had 5 “mud seasons” when I stopped counting. One of my friends complained on Facebook today that the dirt town road he lives on was like mud season this past week.
    Just noting the personal anecdotes that I share as we talk about our climate. It does look like the tipping point for belief systems has been reached, except for the US House, which remains in denial, well funded by the fossil fuel giants.
    I expect it’s too late to do much about NH’s snowy winters (although an occasional destructive blizzard is probably in our future), or our moose, or our lynx, or our sugar maples. Time to adapt, people.