October has came and gone like leaves falling off of the trees. The trees are bare and now we are in the first days of November with snow on the ground. The once average temperature of 80 degrees has decreased to a daily temperature of around 40 degrees in only the first week of November. These drops in temperatures have caused a chain reaction of changes in the everyday lives of people who have already seen their first snow.

Social media is a force that is constantly changing day to day, but has recently changed, thanks to the change in weather. Those who live where it has officially snowed have changed their summer or fall themed feed to pictures of things snowy. Posts vary from those who enjoy the snow with heart eye emojis to those who are silently crying in their basement under a lump of blankets. Those who refuse to even acknowledge the existence of snow may feel that it was only a short while ago when the temperature reached above 90 degrees.

In addition to the change in social media, there have not only been pictures of the snow on timelines, but a change in fashion. Instead of seeing girls wearing high waisted jean shorts and crop tops, they now wear thick wool sweaters with leggings, leg warmers, scarves, and boots. These are the girls who chose to actually try to look nice when testing their luck out in the snow, while the remainder of the girls want to be at home, buried in their blankets and drowning in hot-cocoa, sporting the biggest pair of sweatpants they own.

As for the guys, their choice of clothing changes pretty easily. Most guys are not worried about going out of their way to look good, unless they have an activity that requires them to dress up. On a normal day, they’ll just wear a pair of jeans or sweats with a sweatshirt.

Besides the basic social media and wardrobe, there are more ways the snow actually affect everyday life. Most might not notice these changes immediately, but when the skies are grey and nightfall comes almost right after school or work lets out, moods tend to change. No, snow does not automatically put everybody in a bad mood, but a majority could seem less alert and more irritable.

The students, and even some teachers, walk down the hallways of the high school in the morning looking troubled by the cold weather and seasonal colds. Either that, or most of the student’s faces say, “The only reason I’m at school is because my parents told me I need to be and I’m upset about it because I couldn’t sleep all day.” For most students, this describes their lives during the cold months perfectly.

Outside of school, the students and parents who have to attend work dread waking up because of the cold temperatures which call them away from their warm beds. They hate having to wake up a little earlier, to leave the warmth of their house to start their car every time they need to leave, and then eventually leave to go sit in their place of work waiting for the customers who are at home. A single shift at work seems to drag on due to the lack of customers and leaves employees wishing they were anywhere else in that very moment.

Finally, the biggest change caused by the snow is the way people have to change their everyday driving style. The temperatures have dropped low enough to freeze all of the excess water on the ground leaving hazardous black ice in its place. We no longer have days of rushing from place to place. Now, there are cars sliding around on the ice in 20 degree weather, trying to get to school or work on time. Those who drive in the winter weather slow their speed and watch for any signs of ice to avoid sliding into another vehicle, but nobody can be too careful. On the very first day there was snow on the ground, there were a few minor accidents in the city of Alliance before school was even in session.

Snow can be beautiful and provide a break from the intense heat of summer rays, but are all of the changes worth it?