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REGIONAL— An unusually cold and snowy February has sent the region’s winter severity index, or WSI, for whitetail deer close to severe levels across parts of the region, with weeks of …
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REGIONAL— An unusually cold and snowy February has sent the region’s winter severity index, or WSI, for whitetail deer close to severe levels across parts of the region, with weeks of winter weather yet to go.
As of Wednesday, the WSI stood at anywhere from 90 to over 120 across the region. The WSI, which wildlife managers use as a guide to winter deer mortality, adds a point for every day with a below-zero temperature and another for every day with a snow depth of 15 inches or greater. With snow depths around the area now well in excess of the 15-inch threshold, the index is adding at least one point a day, and two points whenever nighttime temperatures dip below zero. With four or five nights of subzero lows forecast for this week and into the weekend, the WSI is likely to add at least another ten points by this time next week. While warmer weather is now forecasted for next week, the predicted temperatures aren’t likely to significantly dent the region’s snowpack.
Winters with a total WSI value of 50 or lower are considered mild, according to the DNR. Winters with readings of 51 to 119 are considered moderate, while winters topping a reading of 120 are considered severe, although readings that high are not unusual in northern St. Louis County.
DNR wildlife managers acknowledge that the WSI is only one of a number of factors that impact deer survival. The overall duration of winter and the timing of spring green-up, along with the quantity and quality of habitat and forage, are other factors that affect survival.