Published February 21, 2024
Six Things the Warm Winter Means for Your Home
Whether (or weather…see what we did there?) you are loving, hating or feeling ambivalent about our incredibly mild winter, the ramifications, both positive and negative, are all around us. From sap dripping from trees in early February to low water in our lakes, this winter is definitely unique. And when it comes to your home, here are a few things this warm winter likely means:
Energy costs are down! The cost of heating and cooling your home has been increasing overall recently, so this is definitely a perk of a warm winter. Some have even turned off their heat for a few days at a time - in February - in Minnesota! Almost unheard of. Over here, we’re welcoming the reprieve from heating costs.
Allergies are worse. Any other allergy sufferers feeling this? Pollen is circulating earlier, and there’s more of it. An early, wet spring makes plants fertilize sooner and faster, which increases mold, another common allergen. With spring allergies coming sooner, that means allergy season will be longer this year as well. What does this mean for your home? There are definitely steps you can take if you have seasonal or mold allergies - air purifiers, cleaning sinks, showers and water-based appliances with bleach and even hiring a mold expert to evaluate your home could all be helpful.
Back to good news: you may see fewer rodents in your home. Typically mice, voles and their counterparts seek shelter from the cold in your warm house, and then they don’t want to venture out in the cold to find food. Thus, you’ll see them more around your home, looking for food and scaring you in the middle of the night (or is that only us?). This year, however, the milder temps may mean these critters are less likely to crawl into your foundation and more likely to look for food outside instead of your pantry.
More good news is that fewer freezing temperature days and a dry winter means that your driveways and streets won’t be seeing nearly as many cracks and potholes. This means savings on your taxes (eventually!) as you do pay for the maintenance of city and neighborhood streets. It’s also good news for your car if you tend to hit those pesky potholes in the spring.
Unfortunately, your lawn is probably not faring too well. Mild temps over the winter, in addition to the dry weather, can put a lot of stress on your lawn. The thing to look out for is a big freeze in February or March, which could damage dormant grass, killing what is alive aboveground (i.e. your lawn). Snow acts as insulation for grass over the winter, but without it, snow mold can occur, meaning lots of potentially ugly lawns come June.
Finally, this mild winter has meant very little snow. This is good news if you live near a lake or river - there is a very low chance of floods this spring! Experts say Minnesota typically sees low-snow years like this every now and again, and most aren’t worried unless this becomes a two or three year trend. Warmer temps likely mean more rain than anything else, but hopefully those showers will bring lots of spring flowers to your gardens!
We’re hoping there are more positives for your home than negatives with this warm winter!
