Last week, students walked to class through a wind chill of negative 3 degrees, but last Monday’s mild day of 56 degrees seemed more indicative of spring rather than winter.
Hillsdale regularly endures these dramatic weather shifts, said Hillsdale City’s Director of Public Services Keith Richard.
“There isn’t much unique about this winter,” he said. “We really haven’t experienced anything out of the norm.”
So far, Hillsdale has experienced the typical warm and cold spells that come with living in a temperate climate. The winter hasn’t brought any surprises, and Richard said he doesn’t expect any weather especially out of the ordinary.
The few warm days last week are typical for January. This month’s warm spell didn’t come as a surprise to Richard, who has held this position for about 20 years.
“It happens quite frequently through the years that we get a thaw in January and it causes some flooding issues,” Richard said.
Flooding was minimal this month, as the snow had already melted before the rain fell. The rain penetrated the ground instead of collecting on the roads, not only keeping the flooding down but also the ice once temperatures froze again.
Richard believes Jan. 31 was the most slippery day of the year to date. He said the roads glazed over quickly when snow began to fall and the road crews spent all day salting and sanding.
sodell@hillsdale.edu
