By Chelsea Royal, Columnist
On Halloween, I peered out the window only to see white specks falling from the sky. The ground was covered in white slush and the window was fogged up from the cold. I had kept myself updated on the weather forecast, but refused to believe that it would actually snow a month before November. That was only the first sign of very strange weather.
I was used to coming home for Thanksgiving break in cold weather. I was expecting to bring my furry winter jacket with sweaters and boots back home to where my family would be waiting with the fireplace roaring. But this Thanksgiving there was no need for any of this, and we actually had the windows open to let a warm breeze in.
Last year, the snow at Hofstra before winter break put a strain on many students at the University. They had to wait days for their cars to be plowed out of parking lots, classes were cancelled, and the cold temperatures discouraged many to even leave their dorms. However, this year is very different, with temperatures staying in the 60s. During this past month, temperatures ranged from a high of 50 degrees, to a high of 66.
According to weather.com, the average temperatures for November are in the low 50s. So what’s causing all this whacky weather? Some may blame it on global warming. Others may just think the weather is surprising us and simply acting out of character. Whatever the cause may be, it is not what students like myself predicted in the few weeks before winter break.
But Hofstra is not the only one experiencing weird weather. Just the other day, it snowed down in Tennessee and in other southern regions. These storms are turning into rain as they head north, which is usually the opposite of typical weather.
Although the warm weather is not here necessarily unwelcomed, it is nothing like what was expected. On a normal November day, students are bundled in their sweaters and winter coats or decked out in sweats. But lately, students are able to leave their dorms in nothing more than a t-shirt and jeans.
In October, I was ready to listen to my “Christmas Tunes” playlist on my iPod nano. I was already over Halloween before it even happened and ready to move into the winter holidays. Now, I cannot possibly listen to “Carol of the Bells” while walking in 65 degree weather with the sun shining. Hofstra has seen winter in October and spring in November. I can only wonder what other weather changes are in store for the winter months!
