The Metaphor of Weather

Francis, MA in Digital Studies, 2026

I thought it was a perfect day. 72 degrees, sunny, and I could go for a run along the Lakefront Trail. When the wind almost knocked me over on the overpass connecting Hyde Park to the lake, I got a little frustrated and wanted to head back home.

This is a typical Chicago weather. Wind and rain are not bound to show up together. Nor are wind and snow. To realize that air is its own agent and has the power to thrash a bus stop pillar and entangle your newly shampooed hair any day, is to realize that there are no constants driving the city’s weather.

Now, let me introduce you to a few of Chicago’s signature weather—and how we can coexist with them comfortably (or confront them head-on, as I prefer).

1. Sunny + Windy: “Deceptive Optimism”

The sky says spring, but the wind slaps you like mid-December. It tricks you into wearing the wrong jacket. Feels like hope with a warning label. In times like this it’s easy to feel played, like you showed up to an exam and noticed you’ve forgotten to bring a pen. On the one hand, you can learn to be more prepared—always keep a scarf or a beanie in your bag, so instead of worrying you’ve worn the wrong jacket you can rectify the situation. On the other hand, you can brace the surprise and adjust the way you do things accordingly. For example, you thought you would walk, now you might bus; you thought you could go for an outdoor run, now you might do a full-body HIIT at home. In my life, I’ve made similar wrong judgements, thinking everything was going well when there was a sudden bump. Having lived in this kind of Chicago weather, I’ve become more composed to accept uncertainties and adopt a can-do mindset in my personal life.

2. Gray + Freezing + Damp: “Existential Crisis”

Not quite rain, not quite snow—just a general feeling of being soaked in melancholy. Everything is soggy, including your thoughts. It’s usually deep winter, and you not only are physically burnt out but are having an incredible amount of academic stress. During these days, it’s important to give yourself a break—whether that’s eating the food you’ve been craving, buying yourself a new sweater, or rewatching your favorite movie. Reaching out to friends and family also helps a lot in combating your well-justified loneliness. This Chicago weather taught me that the only antidote to harsh conditions is gentle self-love.

3. Sudden Downpour + Thunder: “Chaos”

You were having a normal day and now you're drenched, running for cover, and questioning your life choices. I love thunderstorms—when I’m indoor. The rain touches your windows, and the thunders strike the far ends of the world, letting you know there’s more to what your eyes can see. But when you’re outside, it’s another story. How

can you meet with your professor for office hour with hair and shoes all soaked? How can you get in a bus dripping water everywhere? I’ve always dreaded bad luck like this. I’m sure you do too. At moments like these, it’s important to think of the weather as a pop quiz given to the city as a community. Are you willing to share your umbrella with a stranger who doesn’t have one? Are you willing to take in a person soaked from head to toe at your café if you’re the owner? Are you willing to run in the rain with a friend who also forgot to bring an umbrella like you? If your answers to these questions are “yes,” then reassured you should be that people here in Chicago would do the same for you.

4. Unfathomably Warm + Everyone’s Outside: “Collective Euphoria”

It’s 68° in March. People are in shorts. You’re on the quad pretending it’s summer and forgetting every problem you’ve ever had. This is when Chicago pulls one of its favorite tricks and wakes everyone and everything in the city for a day of instant joy. You will see students swarm the quad in shorts and sunglasses, play frisbees, and blast indie music on their speakers. You will also see moms and dads pushing baby strollers around the neighborhood, chatting and laughing. It doesn’t matter that winter will be back tomorrow—today, we live. The mood is contagious, irrational, and euphoric. In these moments, Chicagoans embrace joy with the kind of intensity only a city starved of sunlight can muster. It's fleeting, it's chaotic, and it's YOLO.

That day when I was almost knocked over by the wind on the overpass, I didn’t turn back. I ran full speed while staring joyously into the skyline shimmering in distance. The wind did push back on me a few times. But more often, it carried me forward. I guess the truth here is: if you learn to navigate Chicago weather, you learn to navigate life.