The semester has gotten off to a chilly start. Students, professors and staff have experienced a range of winter weather, including snow, hail, freezing rain and powerful winds since classes began Jan. 22.

Scranton is not the only place to experience such a bitter winter. According to the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration, Jan. 2025 was 0.89 degrees Fahrenheit colder than the average temperature for January in the mainland United States in the last 20 years. The Weather Channel reports that Jan. 2025 was the coldest January since 1988.

Many students are tired of the cold weather and its negative impact on their routines.

Sophomore criminal justice major, Nur Araj said that it’s a challenge to handle the weather on a daily basis.  

“I think that the cold has been horrible lately. It’s been hard to go outside, and it's been painful to walk to class,” Araj said.

Students have been doing whatever they can to stay warm in these below-freezing temperatures.

“I definitely layer up. I wear a sweatshirt. I have a jacket and gloves,” Araj said.

Araj also described how she has learned to walk fast when moving between buildings, something many students have been noticeably doing on campus.

The lower the temperature drops, the more excited students seem to get for the warmer half of the spring semester, which usually starts around the middle of April. Some are already making plans on how they will spend their time once the sun comes out.

“I can’t wait to lay outside on the Green and tan,” Araj said.

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