REGIONAL— A colder-than-average January and an accumulating snowpack are continuing to add points to the winter severity index (WSI) for the area’s whitetail deer population. Yet, with winter now most likely past the mid-point, it looks like the winter will finish up on the mild-to-moderate side for deer, thanks mostly to this winter’s exceptionally mild start.
The winter severity index adds a point for every day with a below-zero temperature reading and another for any day with 15 inches or more of snow on the ground.
The index in most parts of northern St. Louis County is running between 50 and 65 points, the vast majority of those points based on temperature. Snow depth points have been limited to scattered pockets of the region up until this week, when most areas began exceeding the 15-inch threshold for snowcover.
With continued seasonal temperatures forecast for the forseeable future, the winter severity index is likely to increase more quickly over the next few weeks, which could push the index into the moderate range.
For northern St. Louis County, a severity index of 120 is considered average, while an index of over 140 is considered severe. Last winter, the season ended with a WSI of less than 50 after one of the mildest winters on record. Two years ago, the WSI hit 166 in the Tower area.