The past few months have been a strange time for weather in the state of New York.  Between the intense heat wave that took over during September and the heavy rainfall that served as a dreary welcome into the new year, residents have been given a unique form of entertainment through nature.  One phenomenon that has certainly caught the general public’s attention is the lack of snow that has occurred in New York over the past few years.

As December quickly approached, it became increasingly noticeable that no snow had descended upon the state.  Temperatures remained in the mid 50’s and rain continued to pour. Over seven hundred days have passed since New York City has seen at least an inch of snow on a single calendar day.  This new record broke the previous streak of three hundred eighty-three days, which ended back in March of 1998.  Now, whenever clouds form, it is a signal of another dreary rainstorm, a current circumstance that affected people as they prepared to celebrate the holidays.

“It hasn’t been fun to not have snow during Christmas break because Christmas is the time when everyone wants snow.  It’s the only time people get to spend with family and snow would contribute to so many memories with the people you love,” said senior Siddhi Pandey. 

The situation has caused many seniors to reminisce about the times from their childhood when it actually snowed.  For the class of 2024, their last memory of a proper snowstorm was when they were all in seventh grade in 2018.  These flashbacks have become especially prominent as they prepare for their final semester of high school and their futures.

“It has been so sad without snow.  I only have one more winter at home and it would be so nice to finally have some snow again to remind me of when I was younger.   We are also long overdue for a snow day,” said senior Ben Salit.

In an attempt to offer an explanation as to why there has been little to no snowfall in New York for a decent amount of years, certain experts have offered up the theory that climate change is to blame.  Global warming has affected temperatures to the point where it is no longer cool enough for snow to properly form, hence the excessive amount of rainfall that has taken place instead.

“Honestly, I think we haven’t seen snow because of global warming and changes in weather patterns.  It used to snow so much here, so it is a shame that this has resulted in warmer, more rainy winters,” said Salit.

However, on Jan.  16, snowfall finally arrived and just over an inch of snow stuck to the ground around Port Washington and around Schreiber.  While the snowfall wasn’t part of a strong snow storm, instead consisting mostly of light snowflurries, the snowfall is still some of the most that some people in our district have seen in years.  Despite the snowfall, the school remained open and no snow day or delay was used.  This is despite to the actions of certain school districts across New York, which either closed for the day or had a delay, and is also contrary to the decisions of New York City public schools, which moved all students online for the day.