David Taintor

Let’s face it, snow in April isn’t fun for anyone. I am from the south, so I know that for sure. In the spring season, which is normally characterized by flowers and heaps of rain showers, it is a little bewildering to see the flowerbeds here covered by flurries. One of the hardest things for me to comprehend, though, is why anyone is surprised.

It is commonplace for classrooms to be a hotbed for pre-class discussions about how someone cannot believe it is snowing in springtime, how another person found out how unexpectedly cold the walk to school was or how so-and-so was amazed at how windy it was crossing the footbridge.

Although these situations are unfortunate, it seems like one detail was forgotten when questioning the outside conditions – this is Wisconsin. These things should not come as a surprise.

Under common national understanding, Wisconsin is known for three things – beer, cheese and cold weather.

Historically, Eau Claire has an average snowfall of nearly two inches and an average temperature of 45 degrees in the month of April. Keep in mind that is only about 10 degrees warmer than a refrigerator.

These days of sweater weather are the norm, with an occasional 60 degree day thrown in. With sporadic days of sunshine and glee popping up seemingly at random, more people should be thankful for those days rather than morose about the cold ones.

The cold days should not come as a surprise; those days should be part of habit for any Wisconsinite by now. Those students coming from the eastern part of the state who experience lake-effect temperatures should be very acclimated to the cold. For those students from Minnesota, well I can only begin to imagine the types of lake-effect conditions coming off of any one of their 10,000 lakes.

The fact of the matter is this year’s February and March experienced the same type of weather that most past years have experienced. Consider that in February of this year the average high temperature was 29 degrees, and the average low was 9 degrees, according to the Weather Channel Web site. Then consider the average high temperature for Februaries past is 29 degrees, and the average low temperature is 10 degrees as well. There are few certainties in life, but a cold Wisconsin winter is a safe bet.

It seems like people are taking long strides to avoid accepting that cold weather happens in general in the months after January.

Shorts on a day when you are also wearing gloves will not bring the heat as quickly as it will bring strange looks and a nagging cough. Flip-flops are more suitable for days when it is not safe to sanitarily store meat outside.

The time for that sort of attire is approaching, but for now you are better suited with a light jacket and jeans.

It is peculiar how in younger years the cold was less noticeable than it is now. Maybe it has to do with the naivety that comes with childhood, or maybe it is the layers upon layers of hefty clothing that your parents would not let you out of the house without. Somewhere along the line we have forgotten how to dress for this climate.

All hope for warmer weather is not lost at this frigid tundra that we call campus. Although the average high for the upcoming week is 43 degrees with a couple chances of snow showers scattered around, the traditional high for the end of April edges on 60 degrees. So keep those flip-flops and sunglasses on deck, but for now embrace the weather for what it is and slide on those mukluks just a couple more times.

Jeffreys is a senior advertising major and guest columnist for The Spectator.