While Buffalo may be known as the City of Good Neighbors, it is certainly not the city of light winters. In Dec. 2022, a catastrophic blizzard hit Buffalo— a snowstorm so intense that it resulted in over 50 inches of snow, 100,000 power losses and 47 deaths. While natural disasters are sometimes unavoidable, your comfort this season is not. Here’s what can be used to make this snowy season more comfortable.
Clothing
In an instant, temperatures can drop below freezing. Because of this, one of the most important things a Buffalonian can have to brace the cold is warm clothing. Coats, scarves, boots and mittens or gloves are all essential items of clothing that can make the winter a bit warmer.
“I have Sperry boots. I wear gloves to wipe my car off, and then I wear a hat if it’s really freezing,” Lillian Salvin, a junior political science major said. When asked what type of coat she has, Salvin responded, “North Face. I highly suggest it.”
Heavy coats aren’t inexpensive. Fortunately, there are budget-friendly options.
“I feel like a lot of people are like, you need to get a good North Face coat, and I just don't agree. My coat’s from TJ Maxx, 25 bucks, and it’s done the job perfectly fine,” Alex DeMagistris, a junior math education major said. “I like my good coat. I put on a good sweatshirt, as well as, depending on the weather, a hat. I always try to choose my coat wisely; one with a hood because the wind, even with the hat, is still a lot in my face. I think the hood really helps.”
Tools
Supplies are as necessary to get through the Buffalo winter as clothing is. Commuter students often have to worry about getting up early, normally to either start their car to melt ice or to put air in their tires. To remedy that, tools such as ice scrapers and snow brushes can be used to get pesky ice and snow off your car’s roof and windshields. Additionally, portable air compressors can be used to put air in your tires if you’re in a pinch.
“An ice scraper is probably your best friend here,” Jordan Kenny, a junior communications major said. “A lot of the time, when I go out to my car, the snow is, like, frozen over ‘cause it's so cold and I can't really get it off, so my ice scraper definitely comes in handy.”
“I have this thing that’s like a snow sweeper and it pushes all the snow off your car at once instead of a brush,” Salvin said.
Tips
Driving in the winter can be daunting. The roads are icy, snow is falling down and many Buffalonians seem to not have the ability to drive. With that said, driving safely is a necessity.
“Just drive slow,” Kenny said. “If anything, put on your hazards and people will know you're being careful, and they'll go around you, so you don't gotta worry about anyone [getting] mad behind you.”
“I try to time out my getting up maybe at least five minutes earlier when I know that something’s gonna happen snow-wise because I try to turn my car on first before I start [ice] scraping,” DeMagistris said. “And also, I feel like a lot of people miss taking the snow off of their lights. That's one of the things that I feel like you should do because it’s sometimes, like, coming down hard, and it’s white out and you don't wipe off your lights in the front. You can’t see cars coming, and that's kind of scary.”
When it comes to winter, the lake effect snow in and around Buffalo does not play around. Whether you have no problem cruising through the snow or are fighting for your life, stay warm, drive safe and be prepared for heavy snow. As the motto of House Stark goes, “Winter is coming.”
The features desk can be reached at features@ubspectrum.com
Photo: Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons
