Snowfall in Syracuse

Jesse Cook, SYRACUSE, N.Y. – Snow’s ability to make life difficult is no secret, but it takes an entirely invasive form in Syracuse, New York. With 124 inches of snow per year, Syracuse is the fifth snowiest city in the world, placing added stress on the daily schedules of students and faculty.

S.U. Spanish professor Caitlin Johnston ‘20 said her years in Central New York made planning her daily schedule in a blizzard an annual routine. She said, “So, usually, if I have a break between classes, I’ll try to scrape some snow off, just so it’s not as bad if I get home later tonight to do it all at once.”

She said that her childhood in New York and her five years spent at the University have conditioned her for extended snow, but that her experience did not make life much easier. She explained, “I think last year, I dealt with it more being a student-teacher, going off campus, and now, that I’m just on campus all day, so I guess it’s easier on the teacher’s side of it than the student’s side.”

Speaking more to the students’ role on campus, junior Ryan Dowd said that he shoveled out his roommates’ cars after the heavy snowfall on Tuesday, Feb. 16. He said, “So I just figured I’d grab the shovel and start shoveling myself out, and it didn’t take too long, and I had three hours to kill, and I wasn’t really gonna be doing anything, so I just sorta started shoveling everybody else’s car out.”

Despite the difficulties persistent precipitation poses to the on-campus population, students make light of the heavy snow. They frequent the hill in front of Crouse College as a premier sledding spot.

When aboard sleds and cardboard boxes, the dangerous snow does not appear so sinister.