Northern Wisconsin and western Michigan will have 30-50 fewer days of frozen ground during the winter by the end of the century.

Cold-season soil temperatures are projected to increase between 1.8 and 5.4 °F by the end of the century, and total frost depth is projected to deline by 40 to 80 percent across northern Wisconsin and western Upper Michigan by the end of the century. These conditions could increase water infiltration into the soil and reduce runoff, but they may also lead to greater soil water losses through increased evapotranspiration. The decrease in snowcover and frozen soil is expected to affect land management operations and a variety of ecosystem processes, including decomposition activity, nutrient cycling, the onset of the growing season, and other phenological factors.