It’s finally fall: red, yellow, and orange leaves fall from trees, the smell of pumpkin spice wafts from open Starbucks doors, and sweaters are finally moved to the front of your closet. Except this year the weather has been in the high 70s and 80s, even reaching in the 90s.
Students around campus are disappointed with the sweltering October weather. Junior Nicole Dabir said, “I love cold weather and I wish it was colder. It’s very sad because I still have to wear tank tops and shorts.”
Freshman Jianna Mojas is also upset about the unusual weather. Mojas said, “Pajamas are great because they’re comfy, and when it’s cold out I like to be comfy. It makes me very mad that it’s not cold out because I want to wear sweats and [other cozy clothes] but I can’t because it’s too hot.”
According to the New York Times, “[2014] was the hottest year on earth since record-keeping began in 1880.” This has challenged global warming skeptics because the earth’s hottest years have all been recent. The New York Times also said, “The 10 warmest years have all occurred since 1997, a reflection of the relentless planetary warming that scientists say is a consequence of human activity.”
The heat hasn’t affected Junior Michael Morris, even though fall is his favorite season. Morris said, “I wear the same thing everyday: khaki shorts.”
Freshman Briana McDonald doesn’t mind the heat as much. McDonald said, “I love the heat, and I love summer. I hate fall and winter.”
Students like McDonald who dislike the cold are in luck because the New York Times said, “The temperature of 1998 is now being surpassed every four or five years, and 2014 was the first time that happened without a significant El Niño.”
Gavin A. Schmidt, head of NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies in Manhattan, said that the next strong El Niño would probably rout all temperature records.
Even with the immense heat, students can still sport their favorite fall colors: maroon and beige for Dabir, deep greens and grays for Mojas, black for McDonald, or pumpkin for Morris, but in their warm weather clothes for now.
