Many Sam Houston State students are bundling up in jackets, sweaters and gloves as they walk to class in order to shield themselves from the cold. The weather this winter season has been colder than it’s been in four to five years, but this is a sign of normal weather and not an abnormality.
Allen Williams, a professor in the geography department at SHSU, said the cooler temperatures are actually not unusual.
“Many people may think the weather is cold for a longer period of time this year because of an abnormality, but it is actually a sign of a return to normalcy,” Williams said. “The problem is that our memory is really short, and we don’t remember that we have had unusually warm winters the past five or six years.”
Williams said the local weather is now closer to the long-term climactic average, which is based on approximately 100 years.
“If you compare the temperatures in January and February to the climactic average, you will see that the temperatures for this time of year are starting to come back to normal,” he said.
Williams said from a meteorologist and climatologist’s standpoint, the weather is perfectly normal. He said there is no way to tell exactly when the cold weather will end and when it will get warm again.
“If I could do that, I would be a rich man,” he said.
Williams suggested different destinations for students who are planning to travel on the upcoming spring break and want to escape the cold.
“The best odds for finding warmer weather would be to go south,” Williams said. “If you want to stay in Texas and you have a limited travel budget, places like Corpus Christi and Brownsville will most likely be warmer areas for spring break vacation. Areas like Florida will be warmer as well.”
Some students at Sam Houston State said they favor the cold weather over warmer temperatures.
“I’m going to enjoy this blessed cool weather while it lasts,” sophomore Lorie Gonzales said. “I know I will be complaining about the heat soon enough.”
Johnny Dodson, a sophomore, said he is going to take advantage of this weather while it lasts because he will be traveling north for spring break.
“I’m enjoying this ‘warmth’ while I’m here,” Dodson said.
Sophomore Vincent Mims said he is also enjoying the cold weather.
“I can’t complain about the weather here,” Mims said. “Cold weather is a Texas rarity, and I’m going to enjoy it while it lasts.”
Williams said students who dread colder days might get some relief in the next few days.
“As for short-term weather, it will probably warm up some by this Saturday or Sunday,” he said.
According to the Web site http://www.weather.com, high temperatures for the weekend will be in the ’70s. The predicted temperatures for Huntsville this weekend are as follows: Friday will be partly cloudy with a high of 76 degrees, a low of 58 degrees and a zero percent chance of rain. Saturday will be mostly cloudy with a high of 73, a low of 52 and a 10 percent chance of rain. Sunday will be partly cloudy with a high of 70, a low of 58 and a zero percent chance of rain.