<p>Hi all! I was recently admitted to Duke and am so incredibly excited. I am however, worried about one small aspect of life in Durham: the weather. Now, I know many people swear that Duke has great weather, that you can get by in the winter with jeans and a fleece, etc. I'm not sure where these people are from, but I've lived just south of the bay my whole life and my experience with cold has been limite . I shiver at 55 degrees. I wear leggings under my pants when it's below 60. I just get cold. Easily. Has anyone from a similar "climate area" as myself had any issues with the weather in Durham? Would anyone care to share experiences or advice? Thanks!</p>
<p>First, and most important, CONGRATULATIONS AND WELCOME.</p>
<p>Durham’s climate is nice. Generally, in the winter, a fleece or a light jacket are adequate (less as the day warms). On rare occasions, it gets somewhat colder, but almost never “New England/upstate New York” cold. I can remember a week during January, 1978, when it was freezing for several days; however, that was an exceptional outlier. To put your “internal thermostat” at ease, I’ve been considerably colder in July and August in Mill Valley than I have ever been in Durham (“gut,” not bulb, temperature). </p>
<p>You will be fine. We are from S. Calif- much warmer than where you are. My D went to school in PA where it is colder than Durham, and she adapted very quickly. It is a different kind of cold there and I have found I am much colder at an equivalent temp here than on the east coast. I would think that for the most part you will be able to wear the same thing on cold days in Durham that you would in Mill Valley. If you are going to buy any additional warm clothes,I would recommend waiting to shop there, as you will be able to see what others are wearing, and you won’t have to move it all there. Congratulations!</p>
<p>I have a friend from Walnut Creek, which is just outside of the Bay in Contra Costa County. I’m a senior in high school who is going to Duke, and I live in that region of North Carolina, so the weather will probably be exactly the same as where we live. He says that he didn’t like the initial changes in temperature, as it was relatively consistent where he used to live, but he seems to be much more tolerant of the cold than most people here, especially considering the fact that it’s a lot cooler in summer there as it is here in this part of NC. I’ve never heard him seriously complain about the cold (he usually does it jokingly), but he says he does miss the Cali weather. Aside from windy days, it never gets really cold over here. Most of the people complaining about it have lived here their whole lives and should be used to it. The same people complain about how hot it gets over the summer (though not as much). I don’t think it’s too bad here, and I’m from Nigeria, where I can guarantee you it’s hot. This winter, spring didn’t really start until a few days ago, but most years spring starts in late Febraury/early March. It might be an adjustment to get used to the alternating weather, especially when it changes from day to day (I’ve honestly gone from wearing shorts one day to wearing my jacket the next day). Don’t forget that many Duke students are from the Northeast, so their winter are long and cold and just a change like NC will make them swoon.
To summarise, I don’t think you’ll have an issue with North Carolina weather most of the year. It would never be bad enough for you to turn down Duke for. To answer the other part: you can definitely get by in just jeans and a good fleece.
If you have any more specific questions or others in general about NC, feel free to ask me.</p>
<p>My D went to Duke, and we are from Solano County (East Bay). It DOES snow there. You will need real shoes and a real coat, but it is just different enough to be exciting without being a deal breaker. </p>
<p>^It’s funny that the weather perception is so relative. Coming from Chicago, I would say it barely snows at Duke. It can get cold at times, but I was fine in my four years with a medium heavy coat. Compared to Chicago/NY/Boston/enter any large city north of DC, Durham winters are very mild and the weather at Duke is awesome. I imagine this year was colder than most the as the entire nation (except California) was well below average. You’ll be fine and adapt. Most days are very pleasant and being able to be outside so much makes the Duke experience even better. </p>
<p>. . . and snow is fun at Duke (bluedog is right):
- The Gothic Wonderland looks great
- Most snows are so small, and the Durham winter temps are so comparatively mild, that they melt very quickly (frequently the same day)
- Ice storms can be much worse than snow, but Duke has its own power grid (therefore, far lower possibility of loosing electricity) and you walk – with care --on campus.</p>
<p>Two year ago it snowed once and this year was an exception and snowed like 5 times. But by snow, it’s really about two inches at most. Campus was shut down and there were no classes. </p>
<p>Is it humid?</p>
<p>For the first few weeks and the last few </p>