January 30, 2026/Midnight

Erie, PA. – Growing up in Maryland, snow is unique. The last time we had significant snow was the 2016, “Snowmageddon,” a blizzard everyone in Maryland remembers. For us, it only snows in January and February. A sure sign its winter in Maryland is 30-degree weather. We do not experience negative temperatures, snow, sleet, hail, and ice.

I have been in Erie for two years and I will never get used to this terrible weather. While Erie does have beautiful summers, I am not here to experience it. As soon as September hits the temperature drops, but in Maryland you will still experience 85–90-degree weather. Moving into October and November you will feel the chill of the wind and your first sight of snow. To feel extreme weather like that in Maryland has been unprecedented in my lifetime.

The most shocking feature of this new world of weather is the snow. As you move from November to December there is nothing but snow. Not to mention temperatures reaching near to below freezing. At first, I enjoyed it. To be honest, snow is beautiful and very aesthetically pleasing. But it gets old quickly. I become tired of shivering on the walk to-and-from class and practice.

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Back home, during November and December, I can still feel the warmth of the sun. Going to practice at night is bearable because there are not any extreme weather conditions. I deeply miss the ease of walking anywhere and not worrying about soaked shoes.

A true test of my winter weather strength is January to March in Erie. Here, it seems as though blizzards are daily occurrence. I trek through snow up to my calves just to get something to eat. If one inch of snow touched Maryland, school was cancelled. I remember being in primary school jumping for joy when snow falls. Now, Maryland snow days do not compare to Erie snow days, but once I heard there was a 35% chance of snow, school would get cancelled whether it would snow or not. Not in Erie though. It has snowed over 10 inches this semester and we have had one day off school.

Let us highlight life in Maryland every time there is a threat of snow. I have seen time and time again the shelves of the grocery store cleared out. They are bare. Every aisle has nothing. The weather forecaster says there is snow and every Maryland native rushes to their nearest grocery store like the apocalypse is coming.

Everyday I call my parents and they ask me, “How much snow have you had?” and “Oh you must not have school today?” With every question I just reply, it does not work the same in Erie. If it snows that means everything is on track.

This is a serious adjustment that I think I have not made. I still complain and whine about the treacherous weather. I hope with every snowflake we are moving closer to a snowy day. A dream that rarely becomes a reality.

To this day, I remember the excitement my younger self got every time snow graced the Maryland ground. At that time, I truly took for granted the simple life of walking to and from any place with dry shoes.