The new year brought deep freeze temperatures, which are not exactly new to Michigan. As a bomb cyclone welcomed Eastern America into 2018, Michigan felt the effect too. Although cold weather is nothing out of the ordinary for Michiganders, it has its consequences for students.

Because of its sudden drop in pressure, the massive winter storm that moved up the Eastern seaboard earned the name “bomb cyclone”. It brought blizzard-like weather, feet of snow, frigid winds, and record-breaking temperatures.

Fifty-eight million people were in the path of this storm, but more than half of North America experienced abnormally cold temperatures. A recent temperature anomaly map released by NASA shows North America’s temperatures are greatly below average.

In the first week of 2018, temperatures in Rochester Hills, Michigan have struggled to reach double digits. This left students at Adams High School facing difficulties not only outside, but inside the school too.

“The weather outside really affects the school inside, and when it’s colder, it’s harder to stay focused. Also, the wet snow gets in the entrances…it’s really hard to keep the floors completely dry, so I’ve seen people slip before,” said sophomore Audrey Beach.

School floors are not the only slippery paths. Many seniors, juniors, and sophomores at Adams drive themselves to school. Snowy and icy roads are major concerns for these students. Not only do students feel tired in the mornings, but adding bad road conditions makes a dangerous combination.

“It’s already hard enough to try and get to school with the mass amount of kids, but adding the snow makes it harder because everyone is going slower, so it takes longer,” said senior Kayla Adams.

The cold weather and snow also brings hardships for students who travel between Adams High School and Van Hoosen Middle School. Many kids must walk to the middle school for buses and parking spots. However, the cold wind and snowy paths cause the short walk to become long and miserable.

“Going out of the doors near the senior area is annoying ‘cause I always slip, and the walk to the bus is muddy and slippery. It does make the walk harder,” said junior Annika Running.

Some students also take classes that are held at Van Hoosen. They have to walk to and from the middle school in the middle of the day. The commute becomes much harder in the winter due to the snow.

“[The cold weather and snow] make it a much longer walk which takes away from class time. I have to follow paths plowed which are almost never the most direct route between Adams and Van Hoosen,” said sophomore Daniel Benedict.

The high school experience is more than just classes inside, so the daily life for students involves being inside and out. The cold weather and inches of snow can take its toll. From icy roads to slippery school hallways, kids feel winter’s affect in all aspects of their day. Perhaps the classic snow day is not too bad every once in a while.