The warm winter has been welcomed by many in Michiana used to driving through several inches of snow this time of year, but the higher temperatures caused some problems 

The Howard Park Ice Rink officially closed Wednesday, Feb. 3, about four weeks ahead of schedule because of the warm weather.

“I applaud the efforts of our team who has done everything they could to keep the nearly 60year-old ice rink up and running,” Aaron Perri, executive director of South Bend Parks and Recreation, said in a news release. “The weather has hurt us. We have only had about five or six days of perfect skating conditions this season.”

The ice rink is expected to undergo renovations this summer.