Washington & Jefferson College - Weather

Quick Stats

College Prowler Take

In the middle of summer and winter, southwestern Pennsylvania behaves pretty much how you expect it to. Any other time of the year, the weather can change during the brief period you spend in classes, and it can even switch seasons overnight. As an example, the temperature went from 83 degrees to 32 degrees in the span of three days while I was writing this guidebook. We went from shorts and sandals to winter coats and . . . well, some of us still stuck with sandals anyway. While that’s a little more dramatic than usual, such changes are not all that uncommon. From November through December and February through April, the weather patterns routinely defy explanation by all but the very best meteorologists. It’s too bad that local news stations haven’t hired any of them yet. The best advice anyone can give is to bring clothes for every condition imaginable, because the need will arise. The weather here is by no means unbearable or intolerable so long as you come prepared. Winter sets in the longest, usually around Thanksgiving. When it finally breaks, what precious green space we have is flooded with students. The crazy transitional periods don’t last all that long, but they do seem to stick in everyone’s memory. A light jacket or two can be your most valuable article of clothing, so keep them handy.

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Students Speak Out

Anonymous says:

Summers are terrible if you live... Summers are terrible if you live in the Row or up around the freshman dorms. They don’t have air-conditioning, so they heat up and are almost impossible to cool down. 12345 Weather Report

Anonymous says:

We get some wicked cold winters.... We get some wicked cold winters. It doesn’t seem to bother some people, but I can’t stand it. The sidewalks get all icy overnight, and I have to trudge through a foot of snow all the way across campus to get to class. 12345 Weather Report

Anonymous says:

I stay inside too much to care... I stay inside too much to care about the weather. In my little world it’s always a nice mid-70s paradise. 12345 Weather Report

Anonymous says:

Expect to see all four seasons... Expect to see all four seasons come in succession in about one week’s time. It’ll happen, and when it does, it is so annoying. You can go to class and it’ll be nice and sunny and warm, then you come out of class and it’s cold, grey, and raining. The next week, it’ll be snowing. I don’t understand it. 12345 Weather Report

Anonymous says:

Pack clothes for every possible... Pack clothes for every possible condition because you will need them without much notice. 12345 Weather Report

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