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Ah, New England weather. The temperature changes are drastic, the precipitation is temperamental, and the lines between when spring begins and winter ends are blurred.
In this weather the questions that most often arises  is“What am I supposed to wear?”First, it’s important to note, especially to all of those non-New Englanders, that the weather we’ve been having at MoHo over these past few months is more than irregular. Even I, as a New York native, cannot understand why one day it is -8 Fahrenheit and then on the next it’s 52 and raining. Here are some clothing staples organised according to the crazy New England Weather.
If it’s around 40/50s F, (4/10C):
- You will probably be okay with a light jacket, jeans, and if you’re a person who likes to wear dresses, today’s the day! Just wear thick stockings and maybe some boots. If it’s raining, just make sure to use an umbrella, because while rain jackets are great, they don’t protect your whole body, and especially in a cold rain, you can get sick if your skin gets too cold!
If it’s around 30s F (-1C):
I’m going to be honest, there’s a really a big difference between 30 and 39. It seems as if the lower your temperature is, the more exponentially drastic are the changes between degrees.
- High 30s F (3.9 C)
This is more of a yikes moment. I would suggest a thick pair of jeans or thermal leggings (nike has some really good ones for running that I wear when it’s super cold) and a nice cozy sweater. If it’s snowing out, there’s really no need for an umbrella. If you think you really need one, it’s up to you. However, it’s not going to help much because where you really want your hands is in your pockets, rather than holding up something that will cover you from just a little bit of water that won’t really affect you anyway. Again, definitely a heavy coat, and please, don’t wear a dress without any leggings. It’s really unhealthy. From this temperature down, please just, be conscious of your own health and the fact that hypothermia is a very real thing when the wind chill is high, though it only says 30 on your weather app.
- Low 30s (-1 C)
​Look, for this I’m suggesting what you would wear in the 40s. Except, it’s completely your choice if you want to risk the cold in a dress. Typically, especially at MoHo with long walks across campus, I would wear jeans and a nice sweater with a heavy coat. It’s really important to keep all of your extremities covered because that’s where your heat escapes. Make sure you also wear layers, because in the morning it may feel really cold, but may feel warmer throughout the day.
If we’re getting into the tundra:
- The 20s (-6.6 C):
Here it comes, the low-pressure system, you know it’s coming quickly but you simply don’t know how to prepare for it. You’re from Southern California, you’ve never experienced this before, what do you do? Just think heavy. Sacrifice fashion for comfort. For sure get those leggings plus sweatpants if really needed. Unfortunately, the temperature gets a lot colder than just the low 20s in New England, so if you’re (not?) really bundling up, you’re in for a rude awakening. That does not mean you should suck up your pain, however. You can totally wear 3 layers, a jacket, coat, a hat, two pairs of gloves, 3 pairs of socks, your favourite pair of bean boots (which I don’t even have) and a ski mask (if you’re really going all out) when it’s snowing.  Most important thing to do when it gets down low, drink tons of water, keep your skin clean and moisturized. Cold + Dry + Wet hands = cracked skin = infiltration of germs.
- The teens (-10/-7.2):
Okay, don’t panic! This isn’t really all that common, but when there is a cold spell of a few days, and you’re trying to figure out how you’re going to get from Dwight to the Delles in one piece, you just have to take a deep breath, and pay attention. Before you leave, you’re going to put on as many layers as possible. It’s extremely important to cover your face, especially if it’s windy, and to keep your head down against the wind. Get your biggest scarf, your heaviest coat, your warmest pants, boots, shirts and sweaters, and bundle up big time. It’s time to go all out, my friends. I would suggest making yourself a hot cup of tea to take with you on the way to class. Hold it with gloves, and you should feel some warmth coming through. If your hands get cold, just stick them in your pockets instead. Either work. It’s important to make pit stops to buildings if you feel the coolness getting unbearable. It shouldn’t happen, but when the wind chill gets whippin’, it’s going to feel painful.
- The negatives or single digits (-20/-13C):
Pray. Just pray. No, but seriously. For this, don’t leave the comfort of a heated building unless you absolutely must. For this, just dress like you would if it were in the teens and there was a lot of wind. Hopefully, there won’t be a lot of wind, and if there is, there’s nothing more you can do than just prepare yourself. When you get back to the comfort of your dorm, treat yourself to some tea and a snack, because it was a piece of work just getting to where you needed to go.
That is all for now, my new New England friends. All of you kick butt at being a New Englander, now you have an outline on how to dress like one! These are all totally suggestions, if you have any suggestions on what you wear in certain conditions, email the Mount Holyoke Her Campus team!
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Photo Credits:
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