With temperatures this week expected to drop into the teens and wind chill factors expected to be below zero, the furthest thing from students' minds will be the snow.
The University's design and topographical position -- located between two mountains -- makes it conducive to high wind gusts that often shoot out from between buildings on campus and in town, making it seem even colder, said Dennis Thomson, professor of meteorology.
The wind tunnel effect -- also known as channeling -- occurs when heavy winds are forced into a smaller area, such as the area between two buildings, Thomson said. The wind speed is increased by the reduction of area it has to pass through, creating gusts of intensified wind.
"It's most notable . . . where what you essentially have is just the streets and avenues," Thomson said.
One place to examine the channeling effects is near Walker Building, Thomson said. High winds may push loose leaves or snow into piles away from the building and into an eddy -- a current of air blowing contrary to the main flow --where they continue to whirl but remain in relatively the same location.
The channeling effect is most noticeable in larger cities, such as New York, Pittsburgh and Philadelphia, but the University's many narrow paths and walkways make the gusts easy to observe, said Ken Reeves, a senior meteorologist at Accu-Weather.
"It's a fairly common occurrence," Reeves said. "If the wind comes in at the right direction, it gets funneled into the paths."
For Rebecca O'Brien (senior-music and administration of justice), the wind patterns in State College are still a change from what she is used to on Long Island, N.Y.
"I was just walking home from class, and it seemed like the wind kept changing direction," O'Brien said.
Some of the strongest winds at the University come across Lot 80 near East Halls, she added.
"You feel like (the wind) can knock you over," O'Brien said.
The channeling is at its strongest when conditions are favorable, Reeves said. Aside from narrow passages, the only other favorable condition is strong winds -- and the stronger the winds, the stronger the gusts, he added.
"It just amplifies the fact," Reeves said. "But there has to be wind initially."
State College is a relatively benign environment for wind, Thomson said, adding that the area receives most of its weather from patterns flowing across the Great Lakes, making cloudy weather a common occurrence.
Although there is a popular misconception that State College is always windy, it is only because people notice the wind more when it is cold and snowing -- when it is a hindrance, Thomson said.
