An unusually cold end of October has had students searching their wardrobes for scarves and caps two months before winter officially begins.

“We are running about 10 degrees below average for this time of the year,” said associate geography professor David Changnon. “Right now, in terms of fall, it looks like we are going to stay colder than average for the next few weeks. However, there is an El Niño out there on the horizon, so a number of people are in fact predicting a warmer than average winter. Whether that happens remains to be seen.”

NIU meteorologist Gilbert Sebenste said that Canada is to blame.

“The jet stream has been bringing very cold air from northern Canada down into the Midwest and Great Lakes,” he said.

The reasons for the cold didn’t nullify the complaints of students.

“It sucked waiting for the bus these past two weeks because I have been freezing my butt off,” said freshman finance major Ian Kalmes. “It certainly has been a wee bit nippy.”

Allen Staver, an NIU retired meteorology professor, doesn’t understand why the cold surprises people.

“You would think people would be used to that type of thing around here,” he said. “Instead, it gets cold and people complain because they can’t do the things they normally would be doing.”

Changnon said that the cold weather already has had an effect on the community.

“We had a freeze, so all the gardens are done for the year,” he said. “If you think about golf, people probably aren’t hitting the golf courses because of the cold.”

Sebenste said the cost of heating homes also is dependent on the weather.

“The cost of heating homes goes up,” he said. “Natural gas prices are nearly double what they were last winter. Although I expect those prices to drop some, they should still be higher than last winter. Just make sure you have your shovels and snow blowers ready because I think you’ll need them.”

They will be needed, Sebenste said, because while this upcoming winter will be warmer than average, it also will be colder compared to last year.

“This winter, compared to last winter, should be colder and snowier, however, there are a few factors that will keep us from being exceptionally warm this winter,” he said. “Number one is that the El Niño is not exceptionally strong this year. Also, sunspot activity is declining. A high number of sunspots can lead a slightly warmer temperatures for us, but that’s not the case. The number of sunspots over the last nine months has dropped substantially, and we expect that trend to continue through out the winter.”

Sunspots are dark spots that move across the surface of the sun, contracting and expanding, which lead to temperature changes.

Changnon said that common sense is always the best advice when dealing with changing weather.

“Sometimes when you get in these quick warm weather to cold weather transitions, people don’t have the right clothing around, so they go out and get colds,” he said. “People just have to adapt to it. It’s as simple as wearing a hat and gloves.”