The childlike excitement of a snow day is palpable even on a college campus. As Wake Forest students approached the final days of sorority rush or traveled back to campus after winter break
on Friday, Jan. 10, a heavy snowfall began. Fluffy powder-covered sidewalks and roofs. Students and children played on the quad and sledded down hills beside Manchester Plaza.
This was the first heavy snowfall on Wake Forest’s campus in three years. It is rare for Winston-Salem to experience snow, and even more rare for the snow to stick and stay. Winter Storm Cora was an exception to this North Carolina weather trend, bringing two inches of snow and subfreezing temperatures to the Piedmont Triad area.
For many Demon Deacons from around the country and world, this week brought their first experience of snow. The winter wonderland was different from what some expected. Caroline Krebs, a freshman from Houston, Texas, was surprised by how long the snow lasted on the ground.
“I thought that it would actually go away the night after it snowed, which was not true,” Krebs said.
In usual North Carolina weather, her assumption would be correct. Winston-Salem got a dusting of snow last semester on Dec. 3, 2024, but it was mostly gone by morning. It certainly wasn’t enough snow to play, make snow angels or sled. What surprised students most was how much fun the snow was to play in, even as adults. Students enjoyed making snowmen and snow angels and had friendly yet competitive snowball fights.
“It was more fun, especially at 19 years old, than I could have imagined,” Sam Yuratich, a freshman from Louisiana, said.
Students experiencing snow for the first time were also surprised by the slippery ice that had formed by the next morning. Due to unsafe conditions on the first day of classes, Monday morning classes were canceled until 11 a.m., so overnight ice would have a chance to melt. Some students experienced the dangers of ice.
Lauren Storey, a freshman from New Zealand, said she “did fall once, while on a run,” but enjoyed the snow nonetheless.
Other students even mentioned slipping while just trying to walk to class, including Krebs.
“Feeling the crunch under my feet came with the downfall of almost slipping every three seconds,” Krebs said.
For students who had experienced snow years prior, this past winter storm brought back happy childhood memories. Liv Eubank, a sophomore from Charlotte, knows first-hand how rare snow can be in North Carolina.
“This is my first time seeing the snow since I was 10 or 11 years old. Every year I would sleep over at my best friend’s house, and we would go sledding,” Eubank said.
Others had seen the snow but had never had a true snow day experience that had enough snow to play in and enjoy. Maribel Johnson, a freshman from Birmingham, Alabama, remembers seeing “flurries once in a blue moon” when she was a young child. This was her first time seeing “real snow,” as she calls it.
“My friends and I attempted to make a snowman, took pictures and made snow angels,” Johnson said.
Overall, Wake Forest students who saw snow for the first time this past week loved it and cannot wait for the next winter storm to pass through North Carolina.
“My first snow was definitely a ten-out-of-ten experience, and I can’t wait for the next one,” Yuratich said.