With the first cold day of fall comes the annual sentiments of those of us who aren’t ready to let go of the warm weather. “Why is it freezing outside?” “I thought we still had a few weeks until it gets cold!” “I wish I lived in California…” Anyone who has lived where the winter winters and the summer summers is familiar with these feelings. But are you taking the weather for granted?
With temperatures this November reaching 70 degrees Fahrenheit in State College, Pennsylvania is starting to resemble states farther south in the US. While this is alarming, we can still experience four seasons for the next few years. Pennsylvania’s season changes are beautiful and a defining feature of the state, and appreciating the privilege of experiencing the seasons in full swing is something that we all forget to do sometimes.
Spring
A Pennsylvania spring can be summarized in the quote “Good things come to those who wait.” Don’t be fooled by that one 65-degree day in March, the warm weather is still weeks away. Despite most of us being mentally prepared for spring by the end of February, every Pennsylvanian knows that the typical signs usually arrive late into the season — even late April weather requires at least a sweatshirt and pants.
Being in the moment for the slow burn can make you look at it differently. Crisp mornings with a cup of hot coffee and cool air on your face, the dawn mist that just seems to look different this time of year and the feeling of hope when you spot the first wild tulips budding in your yard are all things that ring true to Pennsylvanians in spring. Noticing that Mother Nature seems to be turning up the sun’s saturation from the bleak, winter-long half-dim lighting adds to that hopeful sentiment. When the days feel like they’re dragging along, try to bask in these moments and remember that growth, both with plants and temperature, takes time.
Summer
Water ice trips and Wawa Hoagiefest-filled days define summer in Pennsylvania. Summer is similar to spring in Pennsylvania for the fact that it doesn’t really settle in until we’re well into July. Early May, filled with mild, comfortable warmth gives us a false sense of security for what’s to come: weeks of humidity in July sprinkled with summer storm power outages.
However, PA summer isn’t so black and white. When the days are warm, the sun doesn’t fall behind the horizon until 8:30 p.m. and the breezy nights provide a cool break from the beating rays, it’s hard to not think about how a barbecue and a bonfire would make this moment the perfect Norman Rockwell painting. You could almost fall asleep in the soft overgrown grass with the hundreds of lightning bugs that come out at night.
Fall
Fall might be the season that takes the cake for natural beauty in Pennsylvania. Coming off sweltering August, September shows signs of a new chapter (seasonally and academically). Every Pennsylvanian has fallen victim to wearing an outfit made for the morning when it was brisk, only to need three less layers by 2 p.m. Fall sneaks up on us in more than one way.
Suddenly you’re walking down the sidewalk, stepping side to side in order to hear the best leaf crunches. A surprise gust of wind rustles the branches above your head, walking you into a scene from Halloweentown (1998). An obligatory apple orchard or pumpkin patch trip is made every year, and no Pennsylvanian can say they’ve never jumped in the massive leaf piles that seem to accumulate everywhere.
Winter
With PA’s hottest hots come its coldest colds, and that includes winter, which seems to last nine months rather than three. The cold, dry air almost makes it difficult to complain about how “there’s no snow this year, only slush.” With the sun clocking out before 5 p.m. and home feeling like a warm cocoon protecting you from the below-freezing temperatures, it’s difficult to not succumb to some semi-hibernation.
However, the dead of winter doesn’t have to match the connotation of its name. Only during winter can the street sound silent from the sound absorption of 12 inches of snow. Seeing your breath in the air is a gift that someone in Texas couldn’t enjoy anytime during the year. And a holiday season just isn’t the same when the air isn’t even a little nippy.
Yin and Yang
Yin and yang is a Chinese philosophy that believes that for everything that exists, there is a complementary force that balances it out. Next time you wonder why the weather has to be the way it does, remember that there is always something following that balances it out.
Obviously, Pennsylvania isn’t the only place in the world where someone could have the privilege of the seasons, but that doesn’t mean that we should take it for granted. During winter, when you’re wondering how the spot you’re in right now was almost 100 degrees Fahrenheit six months ago, pause. Remember why you love winter. Remember that there are people who have to travel to see the snow, the lightning bugs or the multicolor leaves. Be grateful that Pennsylvania can provide all of those things for you.
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