Why I love Erie’s snow

Paul Cohen, Staff writer

The amount of snowfall that Erie gets is something of a legend.

I grew up in Washington, D.C., which gets at least some snow each winter.

We only ever got hit with a few large snowfalls.

Washington, D.C., gets snow, but compared with Erie?

The snowfall in Erie is undoubtedly heavier.

Washington, D.C., experiences many winter days with no snow, but Erie sees snow virtually every day during the winter.

Erie gets what I call real winters each year.

The first time that I got a taste of Erie’s snow was in February 2015.

I was visiting the campus for a second time, even though heavy snow was on the forecast.

How much could there actually be, I thought to myself.

The snow was probably 5 feet high!

I remember my face being extremely cold when I was outside.

I remember that an older local told my parents that he had lived in the city of Erie for decades, and even he had never seen this much snow.

Despite what you may assume at first, I loved the snow!

My family did not enjoy the snowfall as much as I did, unfortunately.

The snow was not one of my reasons for enrolling, but coming in I knew that the winters at Mercyhurst would be cold, but also awesome.

Since that time in my life, I have experienced three more winters in Erie.

They have had their shares of beautiful snowfalls.

One thing I enjoy about the snow in Erie is how it opens up all sorts of avenue for play.

For example, I love building snowmen.

I have built countless snowmen during my time here in Erie, one of which I remember having antlers.

I also enjoy jumping into the snow and thrashing around in it as a way to express my excitement.

Making snow angels is another activity I enjoy.

The lights, the flurries, the color of the sky and the snow make the campus beautiful on such nights.

These winters have been nothing compared with what I saw in 2015.

But despite that, they are still a magnificent phenomena that define Erie.

I missed the Christmas blizzard in 2017, unfortunately, but I just know that seeing it would have been incredible.

I am looking forward to more snow days this winter, even if I need to cover my entire body with a million layers.

It is definitely worth it. Maybe this winter will break last winter’s record!