Frigid February Hits Cambridge

Despite the tension of picking new classes and the chatter about Harvard’s next president, the recent streak of cold weather seems to have dominated talk on campus and in the Square.

Hawaii native Tatiana K. Wilson ’09 said the cold this winter is even worse than she remembers from last year.

“This week has hurt me so much because it’s like super cold,” she said. “I’m not used to not being able to feel my face, so I guess I talk about how cold it is all the time.”

To deal with the cold, the Quincy House sophomore said she listens to a lot of Hawaiian music.

“I also think about how I’ll be going home soon,” she said.

Fellow Hawaiian Isaac H. K. Ickes ’08 described the past week’s weather as “murder.”

“My freshman year when I first saw snow, I thought it was awesome. Now when I see snow I kind of just run to my room and cry,” Ickes said. “I’m just doing my best to cowboy my way through it.”

But McCoy Family Professor of Atmospheric Chemistry and Environmental Engineering Daniel J. Jacob reminded those suffering through the cold that, in a New England winter, things could be worse.

“It hasn’t become particularly cold, we’ve become wimps,” he said. “In fact, December and January were just unusually warm.”

While Cantabrigians shouldn’t necessarily count on next winter’s weather to be as erratic, Jacob said they should expect more “freaky” warm-weather events from global warming.

While Harvard students can stay holed up in their dorms and watch lectures online, the cold appears to have had a greater effect on people whose jobs depend on foot traffic in the Square.

Karen Silva, a South Shore resident who works behind the counter at the Leavitt & Pierce tobacco shop, said, “People come in just to get warm, and we certainly don’t mind that,” she said. “Some do come in for a quick cigar,” she added. “Maybe they think smoking one will make them feel warmer.”

Jessica Olans, an Andover resident and Tealuxe patron, said that “in some cultures, people drink hot tea when it’s hot out and cold teas when it’s cold.”

While she does not hold to this practice—and was sipping on a cup of hot tea—she said she has “several Australian friends who do.”

Perhaps the best gauge of behavior in the Square comes from a pillar of warmth in the cold—the Cambridge Visitors’ Information Center.

Mary Alice Harrington, who has manned the booth for over 20 years and now works there every Tuesday, reported a drastic decrease in tourist activity.

“Only 21 people have come by this afternoon,” she said, consulting her records. “I’ve only sold 11 maps—including seven to one person.”

Harrington did have a warning for the complainers, however.

“This weather is cold even for me, but just wait until it’s still like this in March.”

—Staff writer Nathan C. Strauss can be reached at strauss@fas.harvard.edu.