Brycinea’s Story

Title

Brycinea’s Climate Story

Name

Brycinea

Place

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

How are you sensing climate change?

I used to say that it was normal for it to not snow in Philly. Since then, the snow has fallen less frequently and less strongly. In early 2015, when I was in second grade, I have a distinct memory of the snow. It had snowed all day and the snow in my miniature yard was enough to create my first (and only) igloo. I had played for hours in the snow, going in and out of the igloo, my fingers frozen, my nose running. In 2018, I remember a snow squall that felt like a blizzard, coating the ground in snow deep enough to soak my shoes. I was going to my friend’s house and we could barely move against the harsh winds. Stingingly cold snow battering our faces, we felt the joy of winter once more.

I cannot remember a single time since then that has been filled with that much snowfall. Every year since it would snow on maybe two or three separate days, just enough to leave a layer of ice, masquerading as snow, for a few days. White Christmases became a myth, a faraway wish that could never be true. Instead of waiting for the snow, I’ve come to dread the inch of snow that becomes thin ice, not even enough for a snow day.

How do these changes make you feel?

I’m honestly surprised because I couldn’t tell anything changed as time went on, and I’m only realizing it now.