As we approach spring and climate change wreaks havoc on our weather, I’ve been finding it hard to dress myself every morning. It can be confusing to open your favorite weather app and see a range of temperatures from 20°F to 65°F. Should I expect rain? Snow? Sun? Wind? Do the meteorologists even know what’s going on anymore? In all of this confusion, I’ve created the detailed list below to help you prepare for your day.

7:00 AM: Winter

Time to leave for work! The temperature is probably in the high 20’s or low 30’s. There’s probably a blizzard happening and your car doors are frozen shut. You’ll have to be careful not to slip on the ice as you brush the snow off your car.

What to wear:

Layers. Layers. Layers. At least three layers of shirts and two layers of pants are recommended. Boots with good traction are definitely needed to prevent embarrassing falls on ice. Before you leave the house, make sure you’re bundled up: hats, mittens, scarves, ski masks etc. That wicked wind of the Midwest can make that 30°F feel like 10°F, and you certainly don’t want to catch yourself freezing in your car while waiting for your heater to kick on.

11:00 AM: Spring

Lunchtime. You might be out and about during lunch which is the most inconsistent and confusing weather during the day. It could be raining. Maybe there’s a snow flurry or two. The sun is probably out, warming that cold morning temperature up to a maximum of 53.8°F.

What to wear:

Time to strip off one of your shirt layers because now it’s a little warm. You might still need a light jacket though and it’s probably safe to put on your beat up pair of converse in exchange for your boots. Will you need sunglasses or an umbrella? No one actually knows, so make sure you have both within arm’s reach because chances are you’ll need them. If you drive anywhere, you probably can’t roll with your windows down but you can turn the heat down a little and that’s always fun!

5:00 PM: Summer

This is what adults refer to as “quitting time”: you’re leaving work, walking out to your car and all of the sudden the parking lot has become the Sahara Desert. There’s no wind and the sun is blazing. Chances are it’s a brisk 80°F and you’re immediately dehydrated and experiencing heat exhaustion. You think you see an oasis in the distance, but you can’t be sure.

What to wear:

Time to strip off that second layer of shirts down to a tank top and take off that layer of pants to reveal shorts. You’ll definitely need your sunglasses to protect your eyes from the sun you feel like you haven’t seen in years. You might need to lather up with sunscreen so the sun doesn’t burn your weak, sun-deprived skin. Bust out your sandals as well because it’s too hot to have your feet trapped in those heat prisons of closed toed shoes.

9:00 PM: Fall

The sun has set beyond the horizon and the temperature has dropped to the high 40’s or low 50’s. It might be drizzling and the wind is certainly blowing again. With all the temperature changes throughout the day, chances are your county is under some sort of tornado-related weather advisory, so be ready to seek shelter if those sirens start sounding their warnings.

What to wear:

Sadly, you probably now have to put on some of those layers of clothes you had to take off when it was summer. If you go outside, you’ll definitely need an umbrella and probably those boots you took off. Instead of full grown leaves blowing around as is characteristic of the normal fall season, there are probably dead half sprouted leaves and flowers blowing around, which aren’t nearly as much fun to dive into head first. Before you go to bed, you’ll have to put on your most comfy and warm jammies, and probably crank the heat up to survive the night as the weather drops to arctic temperatures and the blizzards pick up again.

With this short guide, I hope you are better able to navigate your wardrobe and the ups and downs of weather we so often experience in 24 hour days. Thanks, global warming.