It is no surprise to anyone that Oklahoma has some of the most unpredictable weather any state could ask for. As students get comfortable in the newly dropped 40-degree temperatures, Oklahoma decides that the next week is going back to a nice 70-degree fall day. As an Idaho native, these drastic changes are no surprise and no different from the weather in Idaho, so I am used to the unexpected. But for some students from warmer states, the cold is a shock to their systems.
Freshman Quintin Diaz is from the Golden State of California. The average temperature in California in the winter is in the high 60s, which is a lot different from the mid-40s average that Oklahoma brings during the winter. Diaz describes California fall weather as, “It’s cold, gray, and cloudy in the mornings. Sometimes it’ll be windy but never wind chills. In the afternoon it’s 75 degrees or hotter with the sun beaming and no clouds in the sky. Then by the evening and night it goes back to cold. California cold is 60 degrees, by the way.”
However, even with California and Oklahoma having different temperatures, one similarity between the two is the high humidity. California often has a high level of humidity, which makes even the winter months feel sticky and hot. Although Oklahoma has humidity, it definitely does not make it warmer, as the moisture makes it feel even colder and can make your skin crawl. This differs completely from the state of Arizona, which has no humidity and is simply hot.
Elisa Bolen is a freshman at Southern Nazarene University and has been struggling to adjust to the colder temperatures. A couple of weeks ago, when the temperatures dropped to 40 and the humidity was high, Bolen was seen wearing a full long puffer jacket to stay warm. Bolen explains that the Arizona heat is “a dry heat and it is amazing.” With winters in the high 70s, Arizona natives are definitely not used to the cold or the humidity and need time to adjust. With the wild changes in the weather, it is hard to adapt because it is never a steady or consistent temperature.
As SNU students begin to adapt to the colder weather, one of the few good things to come from the chillier atmosphere is the leaves changing colors and falling from the trees. With autumn around the corner, the trees are becoming more pleasing to the eye and are bringing in a feeling of fall and change.
Picture by: Austyn Knight