More erratic weather visited us this season, both for better and for worse. 

By Drew Donato 

Photo Credit: Drew Donato | A surprisingly rare sight for this season—snow on the campus in late February 2023. 

Winter is usually a rather cold season all throughout. One can expect to find snow and icy sidewalks all around.

This year, however, was a little different. At the center of it all is our campus. 

This season’s worth of winter weather at CSI was definitely a little different. The cold gusts of wind strongly remained, but it hardly felt like a true “winter.”

Due to climate change, the season started out slightly warmer, giving it a feeling of what felt more like a “diet autumn.” 

On the campus itself, it certainly felt like “diet autumn” at times. Traditionally, I prepare myself to wear a hat and perhaps gloves as I travel to my class buildings. When I came back in January, however, those weren’t needed.

The grass near the back entrance even looked bright green; it felt as if I was stuck in October. 

Going into February, the weather remained erratic.

Some days were either warmer or colder, going closer to traditional winter “weather.” It became admittedly frustrating to keep track of at times, as I was left wondering “should I bundle up today or set them aside for tomorrow?” 

One constant with this season in particular was a gloomy, gray sky. On days where I had to take quizzes, it was admittedly discouraging seeing the dull-looking sky constantly looming over building 2N.  

When snow finally hit at the end of the month, it didn’t even last too long. The snow that stuck on the ground wasn’t even icy.

However, I did take some solace in it feeling slightly safer to walk around without worrying about slipping. By the end of the day when I was headed out, the little snow that was there began to melt, and was gone the following day. 

As I am writing this, winter is almost over and spring is steadily approaching. The weather is still “moderate,” usually staying between the 30’s and the 50’s. Unpleasant gusts of wind, however, have become more common. 

After such a bizarre winter, I am left wondering- what will spring bring? Will it stay warmer? Or, will it have a reverse scenario with more cold weather than warm weather?

Hopefully, there isn’t a snow storm covering the Great Lawn when graduation comes around.