Winter’s Weary Weather

The drifting snow strikes the pavement as icicles slowly drip-drip-drip the time away. When the morning comes, the melting snow freezes, making conditions slippery and dangerous. For the past weeks, students around campus have been fighting against strong winds, low temperatures, and falling ice and snow. 

The wind and ice were major factors of life at Grier during the past couple of weeks, with wind speeds reaching a gusty 28.9 miles per hour on Monday the 17th, then slowly declining. Last week, winter storm Kingston pushed East along the United States. While the storm fell below central Pennsylvania, it still created some high winds, and sprinkles of ice and snow on Grier’s campus. 

Ice has been a prevalent slipping hazard, with several falls occurring around campus. Thin ice conditions have been reported in surrounding counties, and the local police department has issued a warning against skating on the reservoir in nearby Tyrone. Grier’s excellent staff has done a great job of maintaining walkways, and sidewalks have been salted all week. However, students should be on the lookout for shiny patches in their path, which could be black ice.

I spoke with the Chemistry teacher, Mrs. Myers, and student, Palmer Kellogg, ‘26, about their stance on the recent weather. Myers spoke about virtual learning over the past weeks. “I miss regular snow days, because that’s what I grew up with,” she said, “but I understand the point of having a zoom day.” As a teacher that commutes from out of Birmingham, she remarked that the drive to and from Grier takes longer in the winter. 

Kellogg, born in Florida and currently residing in Texas, also had some strong feelings about the cold weather. “I love the snow, hate the cold,” said Kellogg. As someone from a warm climate, the snow is always a pleasure to have around. But the low temperatures that come with it are not necessarily welcome. She copes with the chilly weather by using her heated vest, which, she said, “changed my life.”

The weather may look like it is warming up in the coming weeks, whispering hopes for an early Spring; however, Pennsylvania has been known to get snow into April. We will just have to wait and see if there will be any future opportunities for building snowmen or unexpectedly ice skating across slippery sidewalks.