Changing Weather Alarms Rutgers Students

Daniel King

Davis

2 November 2017

Digital News Writing and Reporting

Changing Weather Alarms Rutgers Students

As a flurry of chill wind and a downpour of freezing rain begins to disperse, Aliya Caldwell lays out a heavy bundle of clothes on her dormitory bed. 

Umbrella and rain boots near the door, Caldwell strives out of her apartment into the sun in short-shorts and a tank-top.

“The weather has been changing so often these past weeks, I might as well take advantage of the warmth while I can,” Caldwell said.

 Both pleasantly surprised and perplexed by the sudden occurrence of spring-like weather, despite the nearing winter, Caldwell and the large majority of Rutgers students say the warmth, no matter the cause, is a blessing to take advantage of.

On these sudden warm days, Caldwell and friends swarm the College Ave Campus to celebrate, taking in the sun and attending day parties, a staple of college life.

While some students frequently take advantage of the warm weather to party on college avenue, others like Environmental Science Sophomore Rohan Jain, dislike the constant switching between hot and cold.

 “You don’t want to know how many boxes of tissues I’ve gone through the past few weeks,” Jain said. Feeling that the constant change in temperature is negatively affecting his body, Jain hopes the weather can return to a set-pattern.

While most students were simply enjoying or despising the weather without any question, a smaller group of students have been wondering more seriously about its cause. Sophomore Meteorology major Lukas House said “A drastic change in temperatures like this shouldn’t just be ignored. Signs like these are pointing to large-scale changes.”

 A large majority of Rutgers students agree with House’s reasoning, especially Junior Journalism and Media Studies major, Manuel Silva-Paulus. “It’s great that the weather can be occasionally nice”, Silva-Paulus stated, “but this flip-flopping between cold and hot really has to stop.”

Silva-Paulus like House, expressed concerns that the rapid change in daily temperature affects the way people decide to dress. “These changes are kinda scary to think about in the long-term, but on the daily, it’s causing a outfit problem for me because i’m not sure what to wear everyday,” Silva-Paulus said. 

 While last year’s average temperature for New Brunswick in November is forty-eight degrees, the area this year is currently experiencing an average of fifty-five. Typical of Late-April or May weather, some students have begun to look deeper into this unexpected change.

Senior meteorology major Valerie Thaler  noted this increase in average temperature, stating that more students should be aware that this isn’t a good change. “I get that people like the idea of always being able to go outside in shorts,” Thaler said, “but what happens when even cutting down on clothes isn’t enough to cool you down?”

Studying weather trends in her meteorology classes, Thaler notes that temperatures have been steadily rising on almost every stretch of the planet.  “While the cause of the warm weather isn’t clear-cut, people can’t assume these changes are natural,” Thaler said.

“Don’t get me wrong, I love the sun,” Thaler said, “but this is a fast-growing problem that can only be slowed if everyone begins to recognize the effects, and work towards creating a solution.”

Ending her interview with a plea, Thaler hopes overtime that more students, and the general public, despite mixed opinions, become aware that these odd, rapid changes in temperature should not be overlooked and ignored.