UMaine students had mixed reactions to Thursday's spring snowstorm
By Kathryn Busko
3/26/24
Bikes outside of Fogler Library on March 21st, following the snowstorm.
Photo By: Kathryn Busko
University of Maine students had mixed reactions to Thursday’s snowstorm, which delayed UMaine’s opening until 10 a.m.
The snowstorm came after several days of spring weather and two days after the spring equinox.
For Miles Fischer, a first-year Mechanical Engineering student from Portland, Maine, the storm was a welcome surprise. Before the storm began, he had assumed it would turn to rain, consistent with Maine's weather this winter.
“I’m not happy with the trend of weather, the inconsistency. But today? It’s a positive,” said Fischer.
A tree in front of Fogler Library, covered in snow following the snowstorm
Photo By: Kathryn Busko
For Miniang Diallo, a first-year Communications student from New York City, the return of winter weather was unpleasant. It was also surprising, as she didn't realize it had snowed until she saw the email delaying classes.
“I’m very underwhelmed, or perhaps overwhelmed, because I thought spring arrived and now I’m here in a snowstorm,” said Diallo.
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Generally, students were not surprised that there was a spring snowstorm. They were caught off guard by the quantity of snow, particularly after the 2023-2024 winter, which was notable for several wind and rain storms.
“Pretty much every winter up until this one, there was snow all the way through March. And this is one of the first ones where we had no snow for a pretty significant amount of time before this,” said Brendan Dunphy, a third-year Marine Science student.
The bird feeder in front of the Union on March 21st.
Photo By: Kathryn Busko
For Kathleen Spear, a third-year Ecology and Environmental Science student, this winter was very different from the ones in her childhood.
“I used to be able to go out sledding anytime I wanted in the winter and now there’s days when it’s fifty degrees out in the middle of winter,” said Spear.
For some, the last days of winter were welcome, while others were consumed by spring fever. The weather continues to be unpredictable, but this is not a surprise.
"Inconsistency is consistent in a way. At least when you’re talking about Maine,” said Cindy Bellavance, a fourth-year Zoology student.
12 UMaine students reflect on the spring snowstorm.