As Summer rolls in with hot temperatures returning to a newly replenished California, it’s important to reflect on how unusual this year has been for our local weather.
California has been experiencing a series of storms that have brought heavy rain, snow, wind, and flooding to various parts of the state.
Some areas have seen record-breaking precipitation levels, while others have faced power outages, road closures, and landslides.
As a central location in the Valley, the Turlock campus at CSU Stanislaus was also impacted by the byproduct of these storms.
How do students at Stan cope with this weather? We reached out to the many community members of our campus to gather their opinions and highlight their unique perspectives as Warriors.
Student
Mario Rasim (Senior Marketing) said he would describe the weather witnessed this past Spring as “rainy with the occasional sunny day.”
He said he enjoys the beautiful campus on sunny days, but he gets disappointed when events are canceled due to conditions like rain.
Rasim also expressed his concern over flooding, especially because he travels more often. “Seeing Merced flood due to the river overflowing a couple of months ago was crazy. Half the town was in water,” he said. 
Faculty
Professor Daniel Horvath, who teaches in the communication studies department, said he does not mind the weather as much.
In an interview with The Signal, he expresses his delight at the rising levels of local reservoirs, especially considering the drought situation California is known for, “I am an amateur gardener, so I actually really appreciate the water,” Horvath said.
However, he said he sometimes gets concerned about bad driving on the commute to campus when there is a storm or rain.
“You see a lot of dangerous behavior on [Highway] 99. And so when you combine bad weather with bad driving, that does concern me sometimes a little bit,” he said.
Horvath shared a story of getting a tornado warning in the middle of the night and spending half an hour protecting his dogs.
“We went to a hallway with our dogs because they’re supposed to be far away from windows and doors and stuff like that,” he said.
Despite severe weather impacting other parts of California, Horvath said Modesto and Turlock seem to be in an oddly charmed area where they do not have earthquakes, fires, or floods. “We seem to be spared.”
Student Athlete
Bobby Garcia (Senior, Psychology), a pitcher for the campus baseball team shared his thoughts. He mentions despite the weather challenges, Garcia continues to enjoy playing with his teammates.
In an interview with The Signal, he reveals how his team has adapted to the recent rain and how they have bonded over clearing the field of excess water.
“We are a big family and enjoy time spent with one another. With the rain, some of that time was limited, so we make the most of what we got,” Garcia said.
However, he does lament that he sometimes misses throwing outside and having more distance to practice.
“The amount of throwing gets to be about the same however the distance is not great as we are limited to throwing inside and within nets,” he said.
Garcia also shared a story of being amazed by how much the rain has positively impacted the water resources in the central valley and California as a whole.
“I am blown away by how much it has recently rained over the last month or so and how much it has lifted away from that drought,” he said.
Despite weather-related disruptions affecting his routines, Garcia said he and his team are in a good position with their indoor facility and their supportive attitude.
“We are fortunate enough to have an indoor facility on campus at our field. We can throw inside the nets while it is raining outside,” he said. “We really just make an effort to take advantage of the time we have together.”
As California braces for 90+ degree weather and the snowmelt to come, students have different ways of dealing with it.
Some are optimistic about summer, some are frustrated by allergies, some are worried about safety, while many are indifferent to the weather and focus on their studies.
No matter what their perspective is, they all share one thing in common: they are part of this diverse and resilient community that can weather any storm together.