At a time when students’ heads should be in the books, many have them in the clouds.
Three weeks before final exams, students are celebrating the return of higher temperatures in sunglasses and tank tops while playing recreational sports outside.
To commemorate Wednesday’s 58-degree weather, Krysten McCully, a pre-vet junior, was just one of the guys.
The only girl in a group of five, she played football and Frisbee on Walter Adams Field.
“This has been the nicest it’s been in a long time, and I just wanted to celebrate it,” McCully said.
McCully finished classes at 12:20 p.m. and couldn’t wait to get outside.
“I can’t focus when I’m stuck inside, and it is so nice out,” she said. “The rain isn’t my favorite, but it’s necessary to make things better.”
But David Bechler, meteorologist for the National Weather Service in Grand Rapids, said though the rain and clouds may return, the higher temperatures should stay around.
“But (today) is going to be the warmer part of the week,” he said.
Friday there will be scattered showers and a chance of thunderstorms with a high of 70 degrees, he said.
Bechler said temperatures will remain above normal for the next 10 days, ranging in the high 60s and lower 70s.
Alex Kruzel, a tour coordinator and events planner for the MSU Butterfly House, said despite the improvement in the weather, it may be too risky to begin planting.
“Mother Nature can strike at any time with the frost line,” he said.
The frost line occurs whenever temperatures drop below 32 degrees Fahrenheit.
“The 15th of May - that’s typically the last day of frost,” Kruzel said. “People who may start earlier are taking a risk because a portion of the leader (plants) can get severe frost.”
Emily Buckler, an English sophomore, said the positive changes in the weather help to improve people’s moods.
“Nice weather, it just puts everyone in a more positive mood,” she said. “People seem more happy.”
Buckler, a self-described “outdoorsy person,” said she loves putting her bare feet on the grass on the first nice day of spring.
“I’ve been waiting for this for so long - if it stays like this I’ll 4.0 all my finals,” she said. “But this weather is worth it to not study. I hope it doesn’t change.”
