Jessika Vandivier
The Paw Print
The buzz around campus this last weekend has been focused on the weather. The temperature in Alamosa is about to take a significant turn for the worst. For the most part, the climate has been fairly decent, staying steadily in the fifties. This definitely won’t last forever.
According to Climate Zone.com, the average temperature in Alamosa for the month of November is a balmy 29.9 degrees Fahrenheit, the average maximum temperature of Alamosa in November is 47.4 degrees, and the average minimum temperature is 12.3 degrees.
To give us all something to look forward to, let’s take a look at the future forecasts of December and January. December, with an average temperature of 17.5 degrees Fahrenheit, will only bring about 5 inches of snowfall. Lucky for us, November only has an average snow fall of about 4.3 inches.
CBS Denver says that last January temperatures in Alamosa hit a record low at -33 degrees Fahrenheit, and meteorologists are still not sure if that is the absolute coldest the temperature dropped. This record temperature makes Alamosa the coldest city in the United States.
This upcoming January, we can expect temperatures to be around 14.7, and there may be an average snow fall of 4.4 inches. There is a common knowledge shared amongst those in the Valley that winters here are no beach vacation. In fact, when I made my decision to attend school at ASU, everyone that I talked to told me to invest in two things: a great coat and a pair of long johns.
Senior Marissa Peterson agrees with this statement. She has attended ASU for six years and will be graduating at the end of this semester. With so many years under her belt, the weather has become a common factor that she was forced to adjust to. “Being from Santa Fe, New Mexico, Alamosa was the coldest weather I had experienced,” says Peterson, “I had heard that it was going to be cold here, but didn’t believe it would affect me. It was not until I had to get off of the basketball bus at two in the morning, in below freezing conditions, that I knew it was time to invest in a heavier jacket.”
When asked how the weather in New Mexico compared to our weather here in Alamosa, she described that it was more humid during the winter in Alamosa; she didn’t grow up around much snow. This being said, she should feel right at home this winter. The mornings have been a little chilly, and of course the nights have significantly cooled down, but the weather has been warm for the month of November.
This week in Alamosa, we can expect temperatures in the fifties through Wednesday, however, the days will cool down towards the end of the week. We may even see a little moisture as Thursday, Friday, and Saturday come with a chance of rain and snow showers.
With Thanksgiving break right around the corner, our lovely fall weather may be coming to an end. Everyone prepare yourselves for the freezing temperatures to come. As the most interesting man in the world would say, “Stay warm my friends.”
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