From kindergarten through 12th grade the idea of a snow day excited everyone. Everyone, but me. I mean yeah I like not having school, but for me it didn't outweigh all the negatives that come with it (and I'm not just talking about negative temperatures!)
Now that I'm in college, I'm a lot more chill with the idea of snow, since some of the reasons that I'm about to list do not apply as much. Even though my opinion of snow has improved, here's 10 reasons why I'll never be able to warm up to it.
1. You're trapped inside.
My house is on a cut through street, so we're always the first to be plowed. However, this still doesn't mean that I can go wherever I please. My car is not in a garage, so I have to get all the snow off, and then there's my extremely long driveway that my dad is tasked with having to shovel. Even if the car and driveway and my street are clear, there's most likely not anywhere that I could drive. So since at home I don't have any friends in walking distance, I am trapped inside by myself sometimes for multiple days at a time.
2. The roads are terrible.
Sometimes the roads will be deemed "clear" and students will still have to go to school. This year, there was one day that MCPS gave a 2 hour delay when really school should have been cancelled. In my high school's parking lot I heard that at least three different accidents happened. When my dad tried to go leave for work in the morning his car slid so much that it turned so that it was parallel to the road. Luckily it stopped right before the driveway meets the road and so there wasn't a collision. Snowy and icy roads lead to 536,731 crashes annually, contributing to 136,309 injuries and 1,836 deaths.
3. It's slippery.
My old high school is right down a hill from the middle school, so lots of students have their parents drop them off there and walk down. A few years ago I heard a story of a girl who slipped on the ice, couldn't get back up since it was so slippery, and then just giving up and sliding down the hill on her butt. According to the CDC, "Over 800,000 patients a year are hospitalized because of a fall injury..." This statistic is on all falls, not just those due to ice. However, ice is the number one cause of falls, so a good chunk of these could be avoided if snow and ice weren't a thing.
4. It's wet.
I've said it before and I'll say it again. The worst kind of cold is wet. So if you're heading to class and the bottom of your pants touches the snow? Have fun with a soggy pant leg for the rest of the day.
5. It's cold.
If it's snowing then it must be cold. Coldness sucks. Whether it's the wind hitting your face with air so cold it burns or when it gets into your lungs and hurts to breathe. There's no good in terms of cold. Now I know what you're thinking, "Ronnie, if you don't like the snow because it's cold then bundle up!" Well you see I do, but there's always...
6. THAT SPACE BETWEEN YOUR COAT AND YOUR GLOVE
You might be confused, so I've included this picture.
See my coat, see my glove, see ALL THAT EXPOSED SKIN THAT'S OPEN FOR SNOW TO INFILTRATE AND THEN SNEAK UP YOUR SLEEVES AND GLOVES?!? Yes, I am very passionate about this one. No coat sleeve will always be able to cover this space. No gloves will be long enough unless they're thin, in which case they don't keep your hands warm enough.
The ONLY solution to this problem that I've found is wearing one of those jackets that have the hole for your thumb to stick out. However, I do not know of any heavy coats with these, so I have to wear a shirt, a sweatshirt with the thumb hole, and then my coat. And then sometimes that's too hot or the coat won't zip. Basically, this is a problem that will never be solved.
7. It's actually pretty ugly.
One of the reasons I've heard for people loving the snow is "it's so pretty!" Well yeah, I'll admit when it first falls it can be pretty. But then people walk in it, and dirt gets in it, and it's uneven, and some areas will melt quickly while others will stay for what seems like forever. So while others think of this...
...I think of this
8. Power outages
People who are used to electricity will tell you that power outages are the worst. No cable, lights, internet, ways to charge your phone, edible food or ways to cook it, and the list goes on and on. Well, due to snow on power lines, snow on trees causing them to fall onto power lines, and snow causing accidents, maybe making a car hit a power line, snow is a factor in some power outages. Losing power already sucks, so losing power when it's freezing and potentially no way to leave your house is even worse.
9. Extra days of school
Sure snow days can be fun, but if there are too many than you lose some of your summer break. So which one sounds better to you? Being out of school when it's freezing outside and you can't leave your house? Or being out of school when the weather is nice and you can drive wherever you want? Yeah, it's the latter.
10. It makes you get sick
Ah, cold weather. The time that everyone in your classes starts coughing and sniffling and you realize it's only a matter of time until you join them. No amount of hand sanitizer will do, with weather like this you will at some point become sick.