Commentary: Chicago’s abnormally dry winters make for a troubling trend
Published January 27, 2025 on Crain’s Chicago Business Forum on winter climate changes
By Ryan Wilson, MPC Senior Director

High water levels in Lake Michigan eroded a walkway at Rogers Beach and threatened homes in the Rogers Park neighborhood in 2019.
“While some may welcome the reprieve [from winter snowfall], abnormally dry winter months are part of a troubling pattern: increasingly erratic and intense swings in precipitation. While predictable, this variability compounds the challenge of managing our region’s water resources for the people and ecosystems that depend on them.”
In this article for the Crain’s Forum on winter climate changes, MPC Senior Director Ryan Wilson discusses the potential for catastrophic losses and disruptions in the Chicago region caused by climate change. He outlines key themes identified by regional and national leaders as pathways for moving forward in an uncertain future.