How are the Freshmen Faring against the Evanston Weather?

[natural sounds: wind in leaves]

HALLOWEEKEND CERTAINLY BROUGHT THE CHILLS THIS YEAR AS TEMPERATURES DROPPED FROM THE SEVENTIES TO THE FORTIES IN A MATTER OF HOURS, AND A COLD RAIN PELTED STUDENTS WHO WERE OUT AND ABOUT. 

FOR SOME AT NORTHWESTERN, THIS TYPE OF WEATHER IS RELATIVELY NORMAL— BUT FOR OTHERS, THE DRASTIC CHANGES AND COOLER TEMPERATURES CAN COME AS A SHOCK TO THE SYSTEM. 

CHICAGO, EVANSTON’S BIG CITY NEIGHBOR TO THE SOUTH, IS ALSO KNOWN AS THE WINDY CITY. LOCATED ON THE SHORES OF LAKE MICHIGAN, NORTHWESTERN IS KNOWN FOR ITS BLEAK WINTERS.

DESPITE THE FACT THAT FALL HAS JUST BEGUN AND COLDER WEATHER IS PROBABLY STILL IN THE FUTURE, SOME STUDENTS ARE ALREADY DRESSED FOR THE WORST. I WENT OUT INTO CAMPUS AND ASKED STUDENTS ABOUT THE CHANGING WEATHER AND HOW THEY ARE, OR AREN’T, ADJUSTING. 

MEDILL FRESHMAN JACK VERVERIS LIVED IN FLORIDA, ALABAMA, AND TENNESSEE BEFORE COMING TO NU. HE JOKINGLY, OR MAYBE NOT SO JOKINGLY, WEIGHED IN ON THE CHANGING SEASONS AS HE BEGINS HIS FIRST EVANSTON WINTER.

VERVERIS: I’ve never really had a winter like this before. It’s a transition, y’all, but I think it’s something that I’ll live through and hopefully not die of frostbite.

WHILE FROSTBITE ISN’T SOMETHING THAT MOST EVANSTON RESIDENTS ARE THINKING ABOUT RIGHT NOW, OTHER STUDENTS FROM WARMER CLIMATE AREAS HAVE ALSO EXPRESSED CONCERNS ABOUT IT GETTING COLDER. 

Daphine: The weather in Chicago is very, very cold and I feel like it’s going to get colder than this because I’ve never experienced snow before.]

SAID DAPHINE tung-a-bin-day. 

FRESHMAN AMELIA STONE EXPLAINED HOW THE COOLER, GLOOMIER WEATHER HAS BEEN AFFECTING HER OVERALL MOOD AND MOTIVATION. 

Stone: When it does rain and get windy, which it started to recently, it makes me a little sad and a little cold and i want to stay inside but overall i dont midn it too much

Luca: The weather has been kind of weird because some days it’s super cold and others super warm…. I’m kind of used to it but people who come from tropical countries have had a hard time adjusting. 

LUCA ins-fer-on IS STILL STAYING OPTIMISTIC ABOUT THE WEATHER. WHILE IT’S COOLER HERE THAN GERMANY AND PARAGUAY, WHERE HE GREW UP, HE FEELS PREPARED FOR WHAT’S TO COME. 

WHILE NOT THE COLDEST FALL THESE STUDENTS HAVE EXPERIENCED, THERE ARE STILL SOME DIFFICULT ASPECTS OF FALL IN EVANSTON. 

FOR ONE, IT FORCES STUDENTS TO ASK THEMSELVES WHETHER FASHION OR WARMTH ARE THE MOST IMPORTANT TO THEM.

THE CONSENSUS IS THAT THE HEAVIEST WINTER JACKETS SHOULDN’T BE WORN UNTIL MUCH LATER IN THE FALL. ANOTHER STUDENT, ALEX, WHO SPENT A LOT OF TIME IN CANADA BEFORE COMING TO NU, IS STILL WAITING FOR THE RIGHT TIME, OR TEMPERATURE…

Alex: I think that the weather in Chicago is not that cold, it’s pretty normal. 

HE TOLD ME THAT HE WOULD PUT ON HIS JACKET UNTIL– [when it gets to minus 10]

MANY STUDENTS WILL LIKELY PUT ON THEIR WINTER COATS BEFORE IT GETS MUCH COLDER, THOUGH THE STUDENTS WHO HAIL FROM COLD WEATHER ENVIRONMENTS WILL CERTAINLY HAVE A LEG UP. 

ERIC DARE, NATIVE TO ILLINOIS, IS COMPLETELY UNFAZED BY THE CHANGING TEMPS SO FAR. DRESSED IN SLIDES AND A T-SHIRT, WEINBERG FRESHMAN DARE EXPLAINED HOW THE WEATHER IS NOT WHAT HE HAD EXPECTED FOR THIS TIME OF YEAR. 

Dare: It’s okay, it’s warmer than I thought it would be because normally it snows the week before or the week of halloween and honestly it was like 70 degrees that one day and I was surprised….I was kinda surprised how warm it is right now.

BRAVING THE WIND IN A COSTUME CAN BE TOUGH BUT ON REGULAR DAYS THERE ARE MANY WAYS TO MAKE THE FALL A LITTLE MORE BEARABLE. ONE FRESHMAN, YULIA, GAVE SOME ADVICE THAT SHE THINKS ALL STUDENTS SHOULD KEEP IN MIND.

Yulia: layering helps

SHE WENT ON TO EXPLAIN HER THOUGHT PROCESS ABOUT COOLER WEATHER. 

Yulia: I think it’s better than i expected it to be becasuea lot of people told me that Chicago weather and Chicago area weather would be horrible but its been okish, today it is not good though.

WITH SNOW IN THE FORECAST THIS WEEK, ONLY TIME WILL TELL HOW WELL STUDENTS WILL CONTINUE TO ADJUST TO THE WINTER WEATHER SO CLOSE TO THE WINDY CITY. 

FOR WNUR NEWS, I’M RACHEL SPEARS.

[more wind sounds]