On Monday, moderate to heavy rains stormed campus as students began the first day of classes for the winter quarter. 

According to the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Palo Alto saw nearly .6 inches of rain over the course of the day. The South Bay experienced less, with San Jose seeing about .4 inches of rain. The North Bay saw heavy storms, with San Francisco recording close to an inch of rain. 

On average, winter quarter tends to be a rainier season than any other at Stanford, with the months of January, February and March usually receiving 3.3”, 3.7” and 2.7” of rain respectively, while the fall quarter months of September to December receive about 0.2”, 0.9”, 2.2” and 3.3” of rain. April, May and June average rainfalls of 1.2”, 0.5” and 0.1” in Palo Alto.

Students said that the rain was a hindrance to a busy start to the quarter. “It was a bit frustrating to navigate all of the rain. Even though I only had one class, I still had several errands to run, and I just felt like I was in a constant state of damp all day long,” said Lucy Hiller ’28.

With a steady, moderate rain throughout the day, some described the experience as a downpour. “I’d say it’s pouring cats and dogs out there, but it’s more like jaguars and hyenas,” Carter Staggs ’27 said.

For Ezra Steinberg ’26, the rain was an uncomfortable experience. “I dislike the rain. I had to bike and my pants got wet. It also sprayed mud on my sweatshirt,” Steinberg said.

The rain also marked a hopeful sign, evoking memories of winter 2023 when Lake Lagunita filled with water due to a particularly rainy season. “I like the rain. I hope that the lake gets filled,” said Sohrab Hassibi ’26.

Nonetheless, some wished that the rain would cease for the duration of the quarter. “The rain definitely affected the mood on campus today … I’m hoping that the rain doesn’t last too much longer because I’m not sure how many days of wet biking I can take!” Hiller said.

Showers are expected to continue overnight and into Tuesday.