Record ocean temps likely cause of Minnesota's weird non-winter

To understand the record-breaking warmth this winter in Minnesota, scientists look to the oceans.

For the sixth straight year, surface temperatures of the world's oceans set a new heat record in 2023, according to a study released this month from an international team of scientists. Temperatures soared past the prior record set in 2022 by nearly 0.5 degrees Fahrenheit, spurred by both climate change and a strong El Niño.

What happens in the Pacific Ocean is especially important to Minnesota, said John Abraham, a thermal-science expert at the University of St. Thomas and one of the lead scientists of the study.

https://www.startribune.com/record-ocean-temps-likely-cause-of-minnesotas-weird-non-winter/600339049/