Written by Nina Earle
January in Roanoke has started with a bang. One week into the New Year and schools were closing and delaying for weather. Roanoke is not the only place in Virginia that has been faced with crazy weather.
On the second Tuesday of the month, the sky erupted, and water poured down. Starting with the sun rising, the rain and wind took over the city. Driving on the interstate reminded me of driving over the mountains early in the morning. Drivers were driving through a fog on the road because of all the rain and its forceful impact on the ground. Adding the cold temperatures and the wind it makes sense that the schools would be cautious to send school buses out to get the kids. There was flooding through the back roads going from Roanoke to Salem. Let’s just say that while driving in this weather was scary, walking anywhere in it was miserable. I had to walk two blocks from my car to my internship and was soaked before getting there.
This all happened before the snow was even a thought in most people’s minds. The snow was pretty when it started coming down, but as it continued, and the inches stacked up it had effects on people. On campus we were even delayed. There were many commuter students that could not safely make the drive to campus because of all the ice and snow. We have almost reached a week since the snow and it is now melting.
I don’t mind the snow and think it is really pretty. What I do mind is two things. One is the ice, and how the likelihood of slipping goes up with all the precipitation and the cold that we have had. Even when it was just raining the temperature made ice on roads and paths very possible. The other is the cold. I was not prepared for how cold 2024 has been so far and do not think I will ever get used to a week like this one when the high did not feel like it was any more than 35 degrees fahrenheit.
