Senior Kathryn Corcoran said the wind and snow was making so much noise outside on Wednesday that it distracted her from the exam she was taking.
"I was not expecting it to be this bad today," she said. "It makes me never want to go outside again."
The National Weather Service released a high wind warning, which was effective from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Wednesday, according to a weather report posted early Wednesday morning on the South Bend Tribune's Web site.
"Sustained winds of 35 to 45 mph are expected, the National Weather Service warns, with gusts of 60 to 70 mph," the report stated. "The strongest winds are expected in late morning and early afternoon."
The warning extended through Indiana's LaPorte County, into Michigan and east to the Ohio state line, the Tribune reported.
During the day on Wednesday, the National Weather Service predicted that South Bend would receive snow accumulation of around one inch, with up to an additional one inch at night.
The temperature was 26 degrees Fahrenheit on Wednesday afternoon at the South Bend Regional Airport, but with wind chill it felt like only 10 degrees, according to the National Weather Service Web site.
The site also reported wind speeds of 41 mph.
When Corcoran left class on Wednesday, she said it was miserable to walk outdoors in the wind and snow.
"The walk from DeBartolo to LaFortune was so brutal, and all I could think about to get me from one point to the next was a hot cappuccino from Starbucks," she said.
Corcoran said when she reached LaFortune, the line at Starbucks was exceptionally long, which she attributed to the cold weather.
Freshman Kayla Colvill is from Texas and said she was surprised by the snow and cold weather. She began wearing her winter coat several weeks ago because she thought the fall weather was already very cold.
"I have just never experienced anything like this in my life," she said. "I can't really imagine it feeling colder."
Temperatures are predicted to drop even lower during the day today. The National Weather Service forecasts wind chill values as low as -10 degrees and wind gusts as high as 35 mph, although no additional snow is expected during the day.
Kicki Astuno, also a freshman, said she not looking forward to a cold and snowy winter because college students have to spend so much time walking outside.
"I'm so nervous for the next three months," she said, "I don't know how I'm going to handle it."
Astuno said she was surprised by the cold weather because she thought the weather this fall was relatively mild.
Corcoran said she was happy the weather remained nice through the last home football game at the end of November, but she is not looking forward to the winter months.
"And I think it's going to be a longer one that normal," she said.
Senior Ronnie Thompson said he works at Rolfs, where Wednesday's wind gusts were strong enough to blow the front doors open.
Thompson also said winter weather presents additional problems for students who live off campus.
"If I lived on campus I'd be more excited for winter," he said, "but now just snow and driving on the roads is a huge hassle."
