It is sunny and clear in New Haven today, with a high of 67 degrees and a glorious zero percent chance of precipitation. But don’t let the blue sky and scantily clad freshman on Old Campus fool you: New Haven’s variable climate is not always so welcoming.

While spring (April and May) and fall (September and October) bring generally pleasant temperatures, warm during the day and cool at night, it’s usually a long, cold haul from November through March. January tends to be bitter cold, with an average low of 17 degrees and high of 35. And February, when the flowers start blooming in California, offers little better, ranging from 19 to 37 degrees.

If you come to the Elm City for college, plan to pack your umbrella and galoshes: March, April and May bring the highest precipitation (it often snows in March), with an average of around 4.65 inches. Old Campus, with its expansive lawn and oaks, makes a pretty picture when it is blanketed in snow during December, January and February.

But though the weather is cold, Yalies try to make the most of it.

Tanya Marton ’08, who hails from Encino, Calif., had never seen snow before she came to Yale. During the first snowfall of the year, she and her friends ran around on Old Campus throwing snowballs at each other.

“I was used to wearing flip-flops all the time, and you definitely can’t do that,” Marton said. “It was nice to see different weather.”

— Yale Daily News