Does anyone know how bad the Syracuse weather really is?
It can be cold and snowy in the winter. But, it’s not a huge deal-- roads are well plowed, the campus doesn’t close. A student will want to bring good winter clothing, boots, gloves, hats are essential. Rain boots and umbrellas are helpful too. But, it’s not like the weather gets in the way of life. There are a lot of small low key ski places nearby, the college has a skating rink, there is an annual ice sculpture competition. It’s a place where people can enjoy winter… I graduated in the 80s and have a son there now.
Expect highs of mid 80s in summer, cold winters with a lot of snow. Sometimes rainy, but not that bad. I agree, god plows. So if your worry was the weather being unbearable, it’s not that bad
There typically isn’t spring weather in upstate NY. You are done with finals by the time spring arrives. It is very grey for a long time but on the other side fall upstate NY is really nice. Not hot and although you can get snow as early as mid-October it usually doesn’t turn cold that early.
@apush123 - Where are you from? If you’re from NYC then Syracuse is really cold - much colder than you’re used to. If you’re from Georgia, then Syracuse is really really really bloody cold.
In general, Syracuse has three seasons: the Rainy Season, the Snowy Season, and the 4th of July.
First, for those who live in NY, Syracuse is not upstate. Its Western New York. Western NY is brutally cold and typically gets unbelievable amounts of snow. The weather is much more brutal than Albany south to NYC. With that being said, many don’t seem to mind it. You will need boots and a warm, winter coat.
I graduated in 88. Every year we competed with Buffalo to see who would have more snow that year. We always won, lol.
Back then, they took good care of the campus and we never closed. I lived on campus all four years, so I never had to deal with having a car. Get the best winter boots you can get - don’t worry about fashion. The best winter coat you can find - again, no one cares when there is a -10 wind chill.
If you live on Mount Olympus, the stairs generally stay clear of snow. Same with the habitrails leading to Lawrinson.
Sorry, but Syracuse in not “Western New York”, For people who live in NYC it is “Upstate NY”. Furthermore, people from Upstate NY are more likely to call Syracuse, “Central New York”. In any case, to answer the OP’s question, I went to SU for four years and every winter was different. The common denominator, though, was that it was cold. The amount of snow varied from year to year.
@byadg123 I am from Long Island, New York
@MSMDAD By that standard, wouldn’t everything north of NYC be considered Upstate NY? Lol
But anyways, living in Western NY (which is extremely similar, if not the same, weather to Syracuse whether you call it WNY, Upstate NY, or Central NY, because they get hit by the lake effect, too), the weather gets brutal, but the longer you’re here the more you get used to it. For instance, having lived here my entire life so far, it wouldn’t be winter without lots of snow, numb tips of the ears and noses that just begin to thaw out by the time lunch rolls around if you had to be outside before school, and cold weather until March, if not until April. But being that we are “gifted” with lots of lake effect snow, WNY is well equipped to take care of it, including street and sidewalk plows as well as salting vehicles to take care of ice as much as possible. That being said, we take winter driving very seriously up here!
I do hope you consider Syracuse, though. The weather shouldn’t necessarily be a deciding factor between Syracuse and another university, because SU is really good. Plus, what is a good winter without snow?
I was born in Brooklyn, grew up in the Hudson Valley, attended Syracuse, masters at Union in Schenectady, spent 15 years in Manhattan, and finally 4 years in Westchester County so I feel like I speak with some authority regarding NYS weather. (It all stinks compared to North Carolina). Syracuse - “upstate” to many but “central” to those who live there, boasts an entirely different winter reality. I would never go back but if my D wants to that’s great. It’s a wonderful school and shouldn’t be passed up over weather. Nevermind that my roommate and I got wind burned through our denim. Nevermind that I cleared snow off my windshield for 20 straight days. Nevermind that it snowed on Mother’s Day 1983. Nevermind that summers are still humid and will be the same temp as NC this week.
Just be glad it isn’t Watertown where they take the batteries out of their cars so they don’t freeze overnight.