In many years we have had hints of snow before winter in the Chicagoland area. There are always mornings where snow is trickling down from the sky, but it has never actually stuck this early in the winter season transition. In 2017, according to the Chicago Tribune, the snow reached an inch or more on December 10. This year, we reached three inches of snow in some places on November 16! The city is getting colder and it is happening fast.

When questioned about this surprise snowfall, Leah Malan ‘19 said, “I thought we had a lot more of fall weather left! Nope, we went from dresses to winter coats too fast!”. Most of the students here at Whitney M. Young Magnet High School can agree: No matter how pretty the snow is, the Chicago cold is a force to be reckoned with.

The cold not only leads us to reach for our hats and scarves, but it also causes danger and havoc wherever it goes. Take for example the very recent accident that occured today where a semi flipped on the Indiana Toll Road. The highways are dangerous enough as it is, and the ice created from these small spurts of snowfall that has melted make it ten times worse. Sharon Li ‘19 is worried for her future commutes to and from school as she describes, “The family car does not have four-wheel drive causing for the car to get stuck in a lot of snow”. Considering how quickly the weather changed, the snow may be a constant problem in this year’s winter.

Adanma Adebayo-Kay ‘23 expresses, “While I don’t love the snow, I like it better than the warm weather. You can always put clothes on if you are cold”. The best we can all do is bundle up with as many layers as possible to fight back against the bitter cold and make sure to stay safe in any way we can during the commute. As many students also drive to school, make sure to leave earlier and drive slower.

But besides all the trouble it causes, snow is beautiful! Many are dreaming of a white Christmas and their wishes might come true this year. No matter your opinion on the snow, I hope you stay safe and keep warm this crazy winter!