Having been born and raised in New England, I’ve got an idea as to what winter looks like. Generally speaking, February in Bangor, Maine looks like a different planet in comparison to the same time of the year here in Newport News. While we don’t always get massive snow storms that drop feet of snow at one time like other parts of the country, the temperatures are cold enough that the snow usually doesn’t go anywhere once it has fallen. This results in the roads becoming quasi-snow-canyons formed as the plows continue to pile up the excess on each side of the streets.
Newport News, on the other hand, rarely sees a dusting of snow. While my fellow Mainers are breaking out their snowblowers in order to get their trucks out of their garages, here in Newport News someone grabs a broom. This reality has it’s pros and cons.
On the one hand, trudging across a snow-covered campus with frost being whipped up in your face by the wind does not sound pleasant. On the other hand, CNU looks beautiful with a fresh layer of snow. There have only been a couple of occasions that I have seen when snow has fallen and stuck around long enough to get a glimpse before it melts, but it is magnificent. I’ve seen students put up a snowman that was gone within the day, but for a short while the magic of winters past caught up to me. The countless mornings praying for a snow day, the endless snow forts and hot chocolate waiting by a fireplace, these are the nostalgic memories that warm me on those cold days and the best catalyst is the falling snow.
If there is one casualty I am most concerned about with regard to climate change, it isn’t the polar bear. I would most miss the snow days at CNU most of all.
But I digress. Long story short, it is unlikely you’ll have to be ready for a real snow storm during the winters at CNU, but if you’re really lucky, weather permitting, you’ll get something really special.
