Boots, scarves, winter coats and mittens made their debut Monday morning with the first snowfall.
With west winds nearing 16 to 20 mph and gusts up to 28 mph, students experienced frigid weather.
Senior Alex Muff said she was cautious when traveling around campus.
“I slid around a few times,” Muff said. “I didn’t fall, but I was really careful walking to the shuttle because my roommate called me and said that she saw lots of people falling in the street and a few accidents when she went to work this morning.”
The 8 a.m. shuttle left Summit Avenue on time, but because of traffic, it took a half an hour to reach Marshall Avenue. Traffic tacked on an extra hour and a half to senior Kenzie Strand’s commute to class.
“On the radio speaker, someone told her to turn around and let people on the 8:40 bus because we were so late,” Strand said. “We went down (and) took Snelling to get on 94. It took so long.”
Strand said she also felt bad for the drivers.
“When it first snows, people kind of freak me out because they forget how to drive,” Strand said.
Junior Derek Donnelly said traffic today was completely different than a typical day.
“Everyone was just being really cautious, so that was nice to see because it avoids accidents,” Donnelly said. “The roads were so slippery that you couldn’t move fast or you were slipping around every turn.”
Despite the slow driving trend, sophomore Ella McGarthwaite arrived to work on time.
“It was kind of a bummer because I had to clean off my car for the first time before getting to school, but otherwise I was pretty excited because I’m excited for the holidays,” McGarthwaite said.
With the arrival of snow comes anticipation for the holiday season for some students.
“It’s very nice. I like the idea that Christmas is coming,” senior Christian Schuster said.
Sophomore Kevin Kusterman was surprised to see snow considering Saturday’s near-70 degree temperatures.
“It was quite unexpected seeing as it was in the 50s and 60s just two days ago,” Kusterman said. “I’m ready for the snow to be here.”
Sean Crotty contributed to this report.
Bjorn Saterbak can be reached at sate3878@stthomas.edu.