Swarthmore College
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Philadelphia weather is pretty fickle. The city gets all four seasons, sometimes in the same week—it’s like eastern Pennsylvania is Mother Nature’s little freak experiment! While in-state students are used to the weather, students from Southern states or the coast have a little more to say about it. It does rain a lot here, so don’t forget your umbrella and raincoat. In winter, it can be bitter cold with temperatures dropping below zero degrees Fahrenheit. It is also not uncommon to see more than a foot of snow on the ground as you trek across campus. Don’t get your hopes up, though, because no matter what, classes are never, ever cancelled. Once, there were some three feet of snow on the ground and almost every college along the East Coast was cancelled—except Swarthmore. On the flipside, summer, early fall, and late spring can be unbearably hot and humid. This is when campus can seem like a country club resort, with the sprawling green fields, cheerful patrons, and grand architecture.

Swarthmore winters can become depressing and bear the brunt of a good portion of student complaints. It has been known to be gray outside for weeks, but don’t fear—spring is never far, and when it arrives, it’s usually mild and sunny. Plan to bring clothes for all types of weather when you come here, even if you plan on going home each break. Once again, you will need all of them, maybe even in the same week.

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Weather at Swarthmore College

riseyourfire

'13

Economics

3.5

B

East Coast Weather

Weather is just like everywhere else in PA. Its cloudy and rains a lot, but not too much.

Dec 06, 2011

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Weather at Swarthmore College

JuliGrace2010

'13

Biology

2.3

C

TERRIBLE!

I thought that coming from New York I would have no problem with the weather at Swarthmore, but it is REALLY COLD! I still can't get used to it. Now that I live off campus, it will be even more difficult to get to campus. Since the shuttle is so unreliable, I usually have to walk to class. This is a really difficult and agonizing thing to do in the bitter cold, and it will be even worse when the sidewalks start getting icy. Even when it rains I can hardly get to school without getting soaked to my knees since the sidewalks are so uneven and susceptible to flooding.

Dec 09, 2010

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Weather at Swarthmore College

BrownThunder

'12

Biology

4.2

A-

Gorgeous for Most of the Year

Swat resides on the Scott Arboretum. Consequently, the weather and landscape usually syngergize to make you feel like you're at a summer/day camp. Winters can be tough sometimes, but snowfall has been sporadic in the past, while last year was ridiculous. The year before, there was only one major snow, though.

Nov 12, 2010

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