Last Friday, the temperature reached the low 60s — warm enough for Archbishop Carroll students to spend an hour or so outside at the end of the day as a Christmas treat. In fact, the temperature reached into the 60s on four days in December and into the 50s on seven other days. That doesn’t tell the whole story, though, as students and staff have had to scrape ice from their windshields plenty of December mornings.

As the climate has swung from warmth to wintry, it has impacted the allergies, mood, and winter experience of those in the Carroll community.

“As someone who experiences migraines and bad allergies, it’s been difficult with the drastic weather changes,” said junior Mara Parker. “If it’s 60 degrees one day and 30 degrees the next, I have a pounding headache the next day, which affects my overall mood and ability to focus on work.”

“The recent weather is giving me lots of headaches,” said junior Brooke Quigley. “My allergies are by far the worst they have been in a while.”

Junior Lydia Stong’s sinuses are more affected than her allergies. 

“The change in pressure, temperature, and humidity has been affecting my sinuses a lot more than usual,” said Stong. 

While the drastic weather changes have caused allergies and sinuses to flare up, there is another problem. It has been almost a year without snow accumulation! 

“The weather changes have made me sad because Christmas should be snowy and cold, yet it’s dry and warm,” said junior Ava Santangelo.

Junior Lindsey Davidson had similar thoughts. 

“It feels weird how a year ago it was snowing, and now it’s sometimes warm and humid,” said Davidson. 

The lack of snow also means no snow days. 

“I’m always excited for snow days,” said junior Lizzy Hennessey. “However, it looks as if there won’t be one this year – which saddens me.”

Others express their worry for the planet as these intense conditions worsen. 

“While it is concerning because it hasn’t snowed yet, these changes originate from humans because of their lack of care for the planet,” said junior Kate Gilbert. 

Senior Laura Wallon agrees that global warming is the issue. 

“It is quite alarming how the weather is quickly changing,” said Wallon. “Looking back on previous years, I remember having to bundle up with a lot of layers. Now, the temperature is very unpredictable, which is anxiety-inducing to think about because it reveals the backward trend in efforts to save the planet.”