And You Thought California Was Cold

As many of us have noticed, we've been experiencing a winter chill. You might feel that this is greatly understated, since Bay Area temperatures are much lower and longer than usual, but it is nothing compared to what the Midwest and East Coast are experiencing. This has been going on some time now, and last year almost every state had some snow, even states like Georgia that are known for their warmer weather year around.

Schools in Chicago had their first snow day in 12 years, and a newspaper decided not to print their daily edition. Airports are closed, roads are blocked, and the threat of being trapped on the roads is very real.

Many natives in the Chicago area are braving weather conditions to drive and travel to and from work, stating that this isn't really a big problem (they obviously have this type of weather quite often). However, Edward Butler, a doorman at one of Chicago's "elegant apartment buildings" warned that "if you don't respect [the storm], you'll pay a price."

This year has been labeled a "La Nina" year, which is characterized by lower than usual temperatures (opposite from a "La Nino" year). Although this doesn't happen that often, or predictably, the conditions can last for two years. For those of us who've applied to schools outside of California, you might want to think twice about the conditions before heading off to the land of white, well, everything! Not that this should truly impact your decision, but it's definitely something I'm taking into consideration. Stay warm!