As we have moved into February and are inching closer to the spring season, the weather in Monmouth as well as the entire Midwest has been everchanging. Transitioning from forty degree sunny days to days of six inches of snowfall has taken a toll on the morale of campus as well as the landscape of Monmouth, and with upcoming weather reports, it does not seem that the wishy washy weather will be changing any time soon.
The snow storms of the Midwest began in the beginning of February, canceling many classes and on campus jobs on February 1. The facilities department on campus put in long hours to shovel, plow, and salt our roads and sidewalks to ensure the safety of students. The snow accumulated to around six inches in Monmouth, a much less demanding job of the snow plows than the nearby town of Peoria which received over ten inches, canceling classes from pre-school to university for three days.
Over the following two weeks, Monmouth saw a drastic increase in temperatures with some days reaching almost forty five degrees on some days but then cooling off in the evenings to below freezing. The campus saw much more foot track outside, and some sports, including lacrosse and tennis, began practicing outside on the fields. It was not uncommon to see puddles on and around sidewalks and muddy patches of grass as the ice and snow began melting, giving the campus an aura of springtime. This increase and decrease in temperatures made for dangerous sidewalk conditions, however, when ice would melt during the day, flowing freely as water on the sidewalks, and refreeze at night, making for slippery travels for students on their way to classes. The facilities department once again was tasked with ensuring the safety of students by putting salt out on the sidewalks and roads.
However, weather predictions coming in for this week do not give a positive report. A snow and wintery mix of precipitation is expected Thursday evening with possible accumulation of five to eight inches of snow. Mother Nature is not giving us permanent bad news with the impending snow storm, though. The high temperatures for the weekend move into the thirties and forties, reaching a high of fifty degrees on Monday, which are more than likely to erase the snow from our campus, making both students and professors who have had to brave the cold weather to cross campus this winter rejoice with happiness.
Leading into March, the temperatures are once again predicted to drop into the upper twenty and lower thirty degree range; however, the forecast calls for lots of sunshine which will hopefully once again bring our students outdoors to enjoy the impending beautiful weather.
Brooke McCormick - Sports Editor