January 27, 2018
Transitions

Recently, we at the GSE hosted a webchat so that prospective students could ask their questions about the college. An interesting thought that I had never considered, being from the city of Philadelphia natively, was that the weather here in Pennsylvania is not comparable to the weather throughout certain other parts of the world. While Philadelphia isn’t as frigid as areas such as Vermont or Canada, the temperature can at times dip below zero degrees fahrenheit.

To survive in Philadelphia, it is important to be prepared for anything. The range of temperature in any given year is approximately a hundred degrees. The weather here is very difficult to predict and changes rapidly. You may wake up to a clear blue sky and by midday be drenched with rain, because you decided you wouldn’t need an umbrella on a day like today. Monday may be a warm 60 degrees and by Friday, the low temperature has dropped to the teens. Here are a few tips on how to survive living in the North during winter.

  • Always carry an umbrella on hand, it may rain at any time
  • Keep a scarf, hat and gloves with you, even if you think you likely won’t need it
  • Make sure to buy a good pair of waterproof boots and some thick socks, when there’s inches of snow on the ground you’ll be pleased to have it
  • Never pack away your summer clothes, you could need to use them at any moment
  • Learn to layer clothes. Remember it’s t-shirt, then insulated long sleeve shirt, then another shirt on top of that, a windbreaker, jacket, and vest. You’ll still feel warm even when it’s cold.
  • If you have no central air, make sure to invest in a large fan. While winter is cold, summer can be very warm and humid.