By JANET SULLIVANA/WASHINGTON (Reuters) – On a recent afternoon, three women in their early 20s sat in front of a campfire, enjoying the cool breezes and a soft breeze that made the evening air more inviting.
It was a small-town vibe in the heart of Washington, where the temperature typically reaches about 85 degrees Fahrenheit (30 Celsius).
But this year, temperatures have been hitting the 70s and 70s, and there were no signs of the cold that has been the norm for the past several weeks.
As the sun set on the campfire and the temperature dropped, the women, all of them from Pennsylvania, asked one another questions about the weather.
“Do you think the temperature will drop?” one asked.
“Are you comfortable with that?” said the second.
“What do you think about the snow coming down?
Are you worried about it?” asked the third.
All were excited about the coming cold, but one of the women said she would have to wait for winter.
“If you have to go to camp, you have no idea how to camp,” said Sarah, a 27-year-old from Pennsylvania.
“You can’t do anything else.”
Sarah said she was going to camp this weekend because she wanted to stay warm.
It would have been a little different if the weather had been cooler, she said, but the weather was just too cold.
“I’m really excited about it,” Sarah said.
“I want to stay there for a while.”
Washington, D, has been experiencing a winter storm that has made many parts of the country feel colder than normal, and that has prompted some residents to take precautions such as wearing layers and putting coats on their children.
On Thursday, a Washington state official warned people to stay indoors and to take measures to protect themselves from a possible cold snap.
“We have been getting quite a few calls from people who are concerned about their own well-being and have taken the precaution of keeping their homes warm,” said Christine Haggerty, a spokeswoman for the Washington Department of Health and Human Services.
On Friday, the National Weather Service said Washington was expected to get a little warmer, with highs expected to reach the upper 80s and a low of 17.
“It will be an interesting, cold weekend,” Haggerity said.
