Spilling the Frost-Tea

by Isaac Word

photography courtesy of Amanda Willis

As the new semester kicks off, Boston University students are bracing themselves for another brutal Boston winter. It would be difficult to not be paranoid after last spring, which was surely an unforgettable one that called for our biggest parkas and nicest snow boots. As a result of the extreme weather, last year saw many cancelled school days, which sounds appealing until you consider the Nor’easters that caused them and how much you are paying to attend classes, of course.

Although many might be scarred from the turbulent weather of that semester, this upcoming semester looks to be a little bit more promising. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) predicts above average temperatures from December through February for the majority of the Northeast.

The big silver lining around the cloud that is climate change is that there will be more bearable conditions for students to walk to classes and engage in various activities around campus. This is fortunate for those of us who have 15 minutes to get from a class in CAS to one in CGS or anyone who wants to avoid the over-inhabited animal cage that many refer to as “the T.”

Before anyone gets too excited, NOAA has more to say.

“Snow forecasts are generally not predictable more than a week in advance,” NOAA officials wrote in their outlook. “Even during a warmer-than-average winter, periods of cold temperatures and snowfall are still likely to occur.”

This means that there is a possibility that the snow could still impede school operations. Luckily, BU has a reputation for keeping snow off the sidewalks and doing whatever they can for students to safely attend their classes. These efforts were especially evident during the extreme conditions last year, but sometimes the weather was too intense.

“There was a major snow storm in early February of last year,” Cyan Maraya (COM ’21) recalled. “Classes were cancelled for multiple days and people were recommended to stay inside.”

This has been a typical occurrence in past years and many students are looking past the snowstorm on the Sunday before classes started and sensing the milder weather to come.

“I definitely remember more intense storms with heavy wind, rain or ice in past years, resulting in cancelled travel plans or days off of class,” said Cacia Cowsette (CAS ’20). “This winter, you can tell the temperature is beginning to drop, but it hasn’t been as intense as previous years.”

This was evident during an “unseasonably dry December” in Boston, according to NOAA.

Many current BU undergraduate students were not here for the infamous 2015 winter season that left a total of 108.6 inches of snow in Boston within five months. However, faculty, staff and other locals remember how the snowstorms affected the city.

Fortunately, weather organizations anticipate that very few extreme instances will likely occur. Therefore, you can put your ski goggles away and trudge to class in style.