Around campus, I have heard some complaints about how much snow we’ve gotten recently, and before that people were happy that we hadn’t gotten much snow. It was basically spring!
Not having snow is just unnatural. It’s winter. We live in a state that is meant to get snow this time of year. El Niño certainly has had an impact on the weather for the last few months, and global warming could be a dark reality.
Aside from the scientific reasons behind the warmer weather and previous lack of snow, less snow is detrimental to New Hampshire’s economy. NH thrives on skier and snowboarder tourism. Certain ski resorts, such as McIntyre Ski Area and Loon Mountain Resort, would not be able to function and draw in money without substantial snowfall.
Not everyone enjoys skiing or snowboarding though. Sometimes you just want to stay inside with a blanket and hot chocolate, and watch Netflix to avoid the cold weather. I find this appealing because I’m not likely to stay upright on a pair of skis despite my love of snow.
Conversely, any complaints about how awful this winter has been are unfounded. You should be grateful you live here if you don’t like winter because other places get far more snow, like the cities along Lake Ontario in central New York. I grew up in Oswego, and we got a hefty kind of snowfall called “lake effect snow.”
This translates into many snowstorms that average six to 24 inches of snow per storm at a time, and we get a few of these in any given season. Over the last thirty years, Oswego has gotten an average of 112 inches of snow per year, and Manchester has an average of 60 inches. I do not understand why anyone would complain about our wimpy first snowfall.
The amount of snow that central New York gets equals many days of cancelled classes, and getting to stay in with your hot chocolate and blankets or romping around in the snow. Why would anyone complain about this?
In reality, the snowfall so far in Manchester is nothing. Oswego recently got snowfall, too — 27 inches of it in an overnight storm.
It does no good to complain about what you cannot control. Weather is just nature, and it won’t change its ways.
Grab your gloves, scarves, hats, shovels and scrapers, and figure out how to beat the weather.
