• About
  • Editorial Board
  • Advertise
  • Join Us
  • Archives
The Wellesley News -
  • News and Features
    • Four Cases of COVID-19 Reported During Winter Break
      Four Cases of COVID-19 Reported During Winter Break
    • Students With Medically Restricted Diets Struggle to Eat On Campus
      Students With Medically Restricted Diets Struggle to Eat On Campus
    • Students find new ways to celebrate Diwali
      Students find new ways to celebrate Diwali
    • News
      • News in Brief
      • Nation & World
      • President’s Corner
      • Senate Report
    • Features
      • Alumnae Spotlight
      • Eye on Science
      • Faculty Focus
      • LGBTQIA+ Column
  • Opinions
    • Wellesley, why can’t you meet our dietary needs?
      Wellesley, why can’t you meet our dietary needs?
    • The block system is a joke
      The block system is a joke
    • Spineless nonpartisanship: how the Girl Scouts convinced me they no longer care about girls
      Spineless nonpartisanship: how the Girl Scouts convinced me they no longer care about girls
    • Staff Editorial
    • Letters to the Editor
    • The Elephant in the Room
  • Arts
    • Music Performance Courses Adapt to an Altered Semester
      Music Performance Courses Adapt to an Altered Semester
    • Ben Wheatley’s adaptation of “Rebecca” fails to deliver compared to its classic counterpart
      Ben Wheatley’s adaptation of “Rebecca” fails to deliver compared to its classic counterpart
    • “Dash & Lily” Find Love, Stranded
      “Dash & Lily” Find Love, Stranded
    • Arts In The News
    • Reviews
    • Music Peek
  • Health and Wellness
    • No image
      Athletic impacts of Covid-19
    • No image
      A new kind of PE
    • No image
      Maintaining wellness as the cold sets in
    • Athlete of the Week
    • Boston Sports Update
    • The Vegan Digest
    • The SHE Corner
  • Miscellanea
    • No image
      Remote students experience existential crises; change class years in email signatures
    • President’s Column: The Butterfly Effect
      President’s Column: The Butterfly Effect
    • Your next on-campus romance isn’t going to work out
      Your next on-campus romance isn’t going to work out
    • The Artichoke
    • The Dose
    • The Olive Branch
    • Multimedia
      • Galleries
      • Infographics
      • Videos
By Cheryl Wang News, News and FeaturesMarch 4, 2020

Wellesley faces third mildest winter in recorded history

Photo Courtesy of Isabella Garcia

Five years ago, during the second snowiest February in Boston history, there was an average of one new storm system every week — at one point, classes at the College were canceled three days in a row. Two years ago, a nor’easter brought over a foot of snow, causing power outages from downed electrical wire. Last year, the College declared a snow delay in late March after a winter storm left thousands without power and roads in poor condition for travel.

In contrast, this year’s winter months of Jan., Feb. and Mar. have comprised one of the warmest winters on record, with the least amount of snowfall recorded since 1937, according to WBZ-TV. On average, Boston sees eight inches of snow in February; this year, the city got less than half an inch.

From Feb. 23 to Feb. 29, temperature highs averaged 53 degrees Fahrenheit in Wellesley. On Feb. 24, temperatures reached a high of 65 degrees, more than 20 degrees higher than the date’s historic average of 42 degrees.

“My honest reaction was, ‘What the hell is going on? Is it spring? Is this the sun?’” said Christie Chong ’23. “I had no idea what I was expecting but certainly not this warm.”

To some, this has been a welcome surprise. Students from warmer climates felt right at home in the new weather.

“I felt like I was in California,” said Jessica Wong ’23, a student from Sacramento, California. “I wasn’t expecting California weather in Boston, especially in the winter.”

According to Wong, she had bought winter jackets, snow boots and layered clothing in anticipation of a snowy February. They remain in her closet, swapped for short sleeves and sneakers.

WBUR reported that a cause of the abnormally warm winter may be the continental arctic polar vortex, a jet stream of cold air circling the top of the planet. In years with oscillating polar vortexes, such as last year, the jet stream weakens and cold air moves south. This year, the polar vortex was relatively stable, locking the cold air within.

“It’s definitely consistent with the predictions,” said Yuxi Xia ’20, an environmental science major. “Many plants are already budding … earlier than they normally do.”

However, the polar vortex does not account for changes in weather in other regions of the world.

“Back in Hong Kong, it basically feels like summer,” said Chong.

Global warming is now an unavoidable issue for presidential candidates. According to a poll from CBS News, climate change was ranked as the second most pressing issue for registered Democratic voters following health care, and candidates for the Democratic Primary have capitalized on it as a rallying point for their campaigns.

At Wellesley, students have regularly held strikes and town halls to raise awareness of climate change. On Dec. 6, over 50 students, faculty and staff gathered outside Jewett to protest the College’s investments in the fossil fuel industry. A climate crisis town hall on Sep. 4 lasted over seven hours.

“Something needs to be done about climate change. This abnormal weather shouldn’t be the new ‘normal’,” said Chong.

Share on

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Pinterest
  • Google +
  • LinkedIn
  • Email
Previous articleNew opt-in google group created
Next articleBoston Sanders Rally, Chaubunagungamaug Nipmuck denied environmental review request, Guy Fieri restaurants open in Boston

You may also like

Four Cases of COVID-19 Reported During Winter Break

Students With Medically Restricted Diets Struggle to Eat On Campus

Students attending the puja ceremony

Students find new ways to celebrate Diwali

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Email Newsletter

Sign up to receive our weekly digest in your inbox

* indicates required

Top Articles

  • Four Cases of COVID-19 Reported During Winter Break

Recent Tweets

Tweets by @Wellesley_News

The independent student newspaper of Wellesley College since 1901.

Sign up to receive our weekly digest in your inbox

* indicates required

  • About
  • Editorial Board
  • Advertise
  • Join Us
  • Archives
COPYRIGHT © 2021 THE WELLESLEY NEWS
Back to top