Hello everyone! At the time I am writing this, spring break is only two days away. Crazy to think I am almost done with my freshman year of college. Time flies when you’re having fun (or lots of stress and staying busy).

IOWA WEATHER

Well, Iowa weather is certainly a tricky one to predict. You can go from being in shorts due to 60 degree temperature to freezing your butt the next day. College is a different animal compared to high school, mostly because you aren’t inside all day.

You could get away with wearing shorts in the winter during high school. You get from your car to your class within minutes and you’re sheltered from the unpredictable forecast for the rest of the school day.

College doesn’t have that luxury. I can tell you from first hand experience.

I never really thought about the aspect of being ready for Iowa’s forecast frenzy. When I first arrived on campus, it was warm every day. It got steamy as well, as I caught myself sweating a bit just from walking to class.

Needless to say, I like the warm weather better than the cold. Who doesn’t really?

I can remember my first encounter with the cold weather. Oh what an experience it was…

The First Experience

I was heading to my 8:30 am French class, as I do every day still. The weather had been mild recently, but you know, Iowa likes to switch the climate up in a hurry. I wore my grey hoodie with a tee-shirt under along with my jeans. I come out of the walkway from Catlett onto the T. Anne Cleary Walkway, and the wind hit me like a wall.

As soon as the wind grazed me, I grimaced as if I ate a spoonful of wasabi. I knew right then and there that the warm weather wasn’t going to be around for awhile. I marched on, feeling the wind in my hair and piercing my eyeballs as I head toward the Pentacrest. This is not the ‘feeling the wind in my hair’ experience that is seen as freeing. Oh no no no.

For all those soon-to-be Hawkeye Freshman living on the east side, here is your warning: The T. Anne Cleary Walkway is always windy. No matter the weather, it feels like a wind tunnel. Don’t say I didn’t tell you beforehand.

As I got into Phillips Hall, shutting the door to block the frigid wind, I felt accomplished. All of a sudden, my glasses started fog up. It was as if I forgot to defrost my windshield in my car. If I got weird looks from other students, I wouldn’t be able to tell you because I couldn’t see jack squat.

The Snow

Now I was pretty pumped for the snow. Actually, let me re-phrase that. I am pumped for the snow anytime before Christmas and New Years. After that, snow is a sore sight to my eyes.

My first snow in Iowa City wasn’t until after Christmas break. It snowed a little bit before break, but not enough to stick to the ground.

I was headed to my daily French class, as mentioned earlier, and caught myself gazing at how beautiful campus is when the snow lays perfectly. I saw the white outline atop the golden dome of the Old Capitol. Or how the pillars of the Pappajohn Business Building held snow like a cap.

While I was gawking off about the snow, I stepped in a puddle. I may or may not have let out an audible phrase in frustration, but needless to say, my feet were wet.

Wet, damp, and FREEZING. The rest of the journey was made, but the numbness of my feet made me feel like I was hovering, not walking to class. Once I got in the building, my feet were less cold. However, my socks were wet.

Wet socks to me are one of the least pleasant feelings. Every step you squish some water out and the cycle just continues. Luckily, my mom sent me in a surprise pair of boots. Pro tip: Get boots. I don’t care how tough you think you are, walking around campus with wet feet/socks is not a feeling you will grow accustomed to.

Getting There

All in all, the weather is anybody’s best guess. Just make sure to check a weather app before you head to class. That way, you aren’t a poor sap wearing something that won’t protect you from Mother Nature’s wrath.

Thankfully, I’ve been in Iowa my whole life, so I’ve been trained to expect the unexpected. I am still learning and by no means am I mastering it.

Hopefully by the next post I write, the weather will be warm enough for jeans and hoodie. Heck, I’ll be bold. Maybe it’ll be shorts season. I probably jinxed it, but oh well. Iowa weather makes for some great challenges, but hopefully it stops being so moody soon.