Last week's abnormally heavy snowfall and cold temperatures are likely to persist for the next few weeks, meteorologists say.
This year's unusually severe winter weather has put economic strains on the College.
Paul Clark, a meteorologist for Weather Services Corp. in Lexington, Mass, said "it has been a very snowy year and we certainly have the better half of the winter to go."
"February is generally the snowiest month in New England," he said.
Clark said the temperature in Concord has been "several degrees below normal this month, because of last weekend, which was very much below normal."
New England is not the only place feeling winter's cold embrace; over the weekend a blizzard crippled the east coast, burying cities in up to three feet of snow.
"A little less than three-fourths of the country had an inch or more of snow on the ground" Monday morning, Clark said. "And some of that snow is very very deep."
Last winter was dry and balmy compared to average winter temperatures, in part because of a strong El Nino, a warming of the waters of the Pacific Ocean.
But this winter, the Pacific Ocean is slightly colder than normal -- a condition known as La Nina, Clark said. This behavior is correlated with the abnormal cold for the eastern United States.
Clark said he thinks the later part of this season will be more temperate.
"It would be relatively unprecedented to have a harsh winter all the way from November to April," he said. "As we get out of January we'll see a shift in the entire pattern and it could turn very quiet."
Not prepared to deal with such a volume of snow so early in the season, the College has been spending more for maintenance.
John Gratiot, associate director of Facilities Operations and Management, said his office is spending more money than last year removing snow and heating buildings.
"We've had a lot of snow so our people have spent a lot of hours plowing and shoveling," he said. "We just got a lot more snow early than we have in years and years."
But some see lots of snow as a pure blessing.
For Donnie Cutter, manager of the Dartmouth Skiway, fair is foul, and foul is fair.
"This cold weather has been great," he said. "It allowed us to make snow around the clock."
"It is our best start in the 13 years I've been manager of the Skiway," he said. "We are up 50 percent on skier visits to this point in the year."
Cutter said skiers are hearty enough to brave the cold temperatures.
But even businesses that do not cater to the hearty are doing well.
Revenue is up from last year at Videostop, according to Manager Christy Baker.
"Weather is a major factor in the video business," she said. "Anytime we get a storm, business increases."
"People don't want to be out driving around," she said.
And although cold weather means additional revenue for some businesses, it is not always a blessing.
Amanda DeRoy, the manager of Everything But Anchovies, said because the restaurant's clientele are less likely to eat out in cold weather, delivery orders increase tremendously.
But, she said, efficiency suffers because poor road conditions hamper delivery. It is also difficult to keep food hot.
"We cannot guarantee it will get there hot when it's forty below," she said. Everything But Anchovies has modified its breakfast menu to include only items that stay warm when delivered.
Lucean Beam, the manager of Valley Heating Oils, said the demand is "driving us crazy. It's too much too fast."
"People don't realize it has been so much colder than the year before," he said. "They run out of oil."
Beam said his business wastes time and money driving to isolated towns so no one runs out of heating oil.
"If you lose efficiency you lose profitability," he said.
