Y’all, we have gotten so much snow in Princeton. The first blog I ever wrote, “A Warm Heart in a Winter Wonderland,” was about my impressions of and reflections on a snowfall that had just recently come through Princeton before I returned from winter break. Especially as a Southerner who rarely experiences snow, I reveled in all the “leftovers” of the snowfall. Well, Jack Frost must have wanted to one-up the snowfall he brought last year because at the beginning of this spring semester, boy, did we receive some snow. The second half of my sophomore year was no doubt marked by a snowy start.
On Saturday, January 24th, after five weeks of winter break, I was, with chattering teeth, greeted by a campus embellished by scattered piles of about an inch or so of half-melted snow; little did I know that Elsa was about to make a quick visit to Princeton…. My family and I had seen on the news that a big snowstorm was expected to pass through New Jersey from January 24th to the 25th, the last two days preceding the commencement of the ‘25-‘26 spring semester at Princeton. Grateful to have gotten back on campus before the storm, my friends and I prepared ourselves for the semester as we also prepared ourselves for the avalanche that was to come. There was talk that the dining halls would have to close and the first day of classes, or FDOC, would be moved to Tuesday, making Monday a full-on snow day. When I went to bed on Saturday night, I knew that much of the snow would fall while I was sleeping. I honestly was filled with so many emotions: I was no doubt excited, especially given how many inches of snow we were predicted to get and the possibility of a snow day on Monday, but I also sympathized with all the people who would have to plow, shovel, and drive around in the snow! (At Princeton, most students do not need a car, so driving on snowy roads is not an issue. Additionally, those in charge of maintaining campus grounds do an absolutely phenomenal job at clearing walkways / bikeways for us students any and every time snow comes through. We students are beyond thankful for them and their efforts and for the large navigability of campus.)
When I awoke on Sunday, January 25th, all of campus was covered in about a nine-inch blanket of snow — Jack Frost definitely outdid himself, and Elsa definitely “let it go”! Walking outside of my dorm in layers of winter gear, a very different wardrobe from what I wear at home, I truly could not believe the amount of snow that had fallen — and was still falling, as it continued to do so until about 1:00 p.m. on Sunday. Just like when I arrived on campus last year and saw Old Nassau in its wintry attire for the first time, I took in the snowy scene before me. The church that my friends and I usually attend on Sundays unfortunately had to cancel their morning services due to the snow, so after about an hour or so of wandering through the snow and taking one too many photos that morning, my friends and I got together at RoMa for brunch — the dining halls did not close (all dining hall members are literally the best) — and then decided to hit the slopes at Whitman! Whitman is home to a large hill, and this hill becomes the site for sledding whenever heavy snowfalls adorn campus. Using sleds provided by the Whitman College office, we slid down Whitman hill and enjoyed some good laughs — all while trying not to freeze! After shredding the slopes for some time, we decided to retreat to the Whitman dining hall to warm up and enjoy some hot soups and beverages. Later that day, once the sun had set and the campus lights turned on, I went back outside and captured some more pictures of the powder-like snow. January 25th was definitely a snow day for the books at Princeton!
Now, I know what you are probably thinking: Did FDOC get canceled on Monday? Although we did receive a good amount of snow over the weekend, classes were in full swing on Monday! All of my Monday classes were held via Zoom, but some of my friends had classes that met in person. Though having classes over Zoom reminded us of the COVID era, I am thankful that I was able to meet my instructors and classmates and hit the ground running for the spring semester — having a snow day would have definitely been nice, though ;)! Come Tuesday, classes returned to their normal in-person format. The spring semester was officially up and running!
However, in-person class sessions did not last too long, as four weeks later, on Monday, February 23rd, we were back on Zoom because of another snowfall. This time, we were blanketed by more than double the amount of snow we received at the onset of the semester, welcoming around 20 inches. Yes… 20 INCHES. The snow from the February 22nd-23rd storm could be packed particularly well, so there were snowmen and igloos all around campus — we were goin’ to school in Antarctica! Even my small town in South Carolina got some snow around this time — around 3 inches, which is A LOT for us in the South! When all my Zoom classes ended on Monday, I adventured around in the snow, snapping, unsurprisingly, tons of photos.
The spring semester of the ‘25-’26 school year certainly had an interesting start! With the January 24th-25th snowstorm and the February 22nd-23rd one coming in not too long after, I do not think I have seen snow much snow in my life! Now that we are about halfway into the month of March, I am hoping that our snowiest and coldest days are in the past, but who knows?! If this trend keeps up, there is no telling how much snow we will get next spring!