Hot, cold, and unbearable, behold! Autumn is in D.C.

The temperature ranges from 30-70 degrees Fahrenheit, and clothing choice suffers dreadfully; this is known colloquially as “sweater weather.” But is it truly sweater weather in D.C this fall?

“I hate having to wear my huge coat in the morning, and then having to have shorts on hand for practice in the heat. It’s so inconvenient,” says Mats Anderson Potter-Veld, a sophomore participating in soccer, cross country, and track and field during the fall. Potter-Veld recently received a bloody nose during competition due to the weather shock. 

Sweater weather constitutes a consistent cold enough temperature for insulating overgarments such as sweaters and pullovers to be worn continuously throughout the day. The inability to do this in the middle of fall raises more underlying issues other than just oscillating weather.

“Climate change is very real,” says Chemistry and A.P. Environmental Science teacher, Ms. Garcia. “The lasting effects of anthropogenic influences such as fossil fuel burning and deforestation have been affecting the climate for decades, and therefore have been affecting our communities weather significantly.”

In layman’s terms, this simply means that we are bringing our own uncomfortability. The oscillation that comes from climate change is providing this vast range of temperatures that makes sweater weather come later and last shorter.

The weather in D.C may be uncomfortable now, but imagine what will happen in the coming years. The most catastrophic consequence of human influences might not just be prolonged climate change and calamity. It would result in the worst possible ramification, the end of sweater weather forever.