The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration recently released their December 2024 to February 2025 weather outlook, and the forecast shows a much warmer, drier winter for North Mississippi. 

The La Niña pattern is projected to bring cold, wet conditions to the Northwest and Midwest, with above-average precipitation levels and below-average temperature levels. In contrast, the Southern U.S. is expected to see warmer, drier conditions than usual, according to the NOAA.

The student body at UM had varying reactions to the prediction of warmer temperatures, with many recounting the events of last winter. 

Tyler Bensh, a sophomore civil engineering major from Redding, Conn., came down from his home state for the warm weather.

“It’s toasty out here. I definitely should not have worn sweatpants today,” Bensh said. “I can’t really complain about it because it’s cold right now up there.”

Killian Hollister, a sophomore criminal justice major from Harrisburg, Penn., however, longs for the colder weather.

“Halloween had us all dying in sweat. I was in a onesie, so it was not fun. Bad choice,” Hollister said. 

Tony Bradley, a freshman English education and linguistics double major from Hernando, Miss., was also glad to learn there would be higher temperatures.

“I’m glad that they say it’s going to be warmer,” Bradley said.

However, Bradley is wary of the accuracy of these NOAA reports. Last year, the NOAA predicted a winter with average temperatures and a slightly elevated chance of precipitation.

Oxford experienced a white winter last year with a mid-January storm, which led to heavy snow, icy roads and damaged infrastructure. This storm also ultimately delayed the beginning of the University of Mississippi’s 2024 spring semester by nearly a week.

“I was in high school at MSMS (Mississippi School for Mathematics and Science), and they said there was going to be ice and stormy weather, so they called off school for a three-day weekend,” Bradley said. “Then, they changed it from three days to five days. Then, it turned into the whole week.” 

 Landon Atkinson is an Oxford native and freshman accounting major.

“It was definitely mayhem,” Atkinson said. “It was just nothing we’ve ever seen before. The whole city was shut down. I had the flu, and I remember on the third or fourth day (of the storm), my dad and I had to drive through town, going about 20 miles per hour on the highway, just because I had to get to urgent care.”

Atkinson also reflected on the safety and economic issues that came along with it. 

“Snow is fun, and getting out of school is fun,” Atkinson said. “But you also got to look at the small businesses who didn’t have customers for two weeks or maybe they lost their power. It’s super expensive and people can get hurt.”

Zair Barlow, a freshman international studies and Chinese double major who was in his hometown of  Memphis when it snowed last year, said he experienced the negative effects of the storm as well.

“Our water pipes broke, and we had no power,” Barlow said. “So we went to my grandmother’s house, and then she lost power, so then we went to my great-aunt’s house, and then she lost power and water. So it just really sucked.”