Fall and Winter Sports working hard long past sunset. Photo courtesy of junior Aidan Field

  San Luis Obispo High School students are adjusting to a new trimester, but they’re also contending with shorter days and colder weather. Some students have to leave school in pitch darkness, and others need to prepare for stormy weather in the forecast. 

  The first major storm of the season starts this Friday. Expect rainfall from Friday evening, into Saturday night and additional rainfall is expected in the following days. 

  Students should prepare for a rainy Thanksgiving break in SLO. Rain is a possibility every day of Thanksgiving break until around mid-week. 

  The stormy weather is due to a “bomb-cyclone” forming off the west coast, bringing significant rainfall and high winds to much of the region. 

  The cold and stormy weather marks a big transition, last month SLO was still grappling with uncomfortable heat-waves. 

  After day-light savings time ended, students had to contend with early sunsets. For sports, this means many student-athletes need to practice in the dark. 

  For fall-sports, like Cross-Country, whose season still has weeks left, the time change means that athletes end practice in the darkness. The lack of a fifth-period with the new trimester, makes this change even more drastic since practices can only start after the school day ends. 

  Cross-Country runner freshman Maddox Lee, who will be racing CIF November 21st, is one of those adjusting to practices in the dark. 

  “It’s a cool experience, but it gets really cold,” said Lee. 

  By contrast, in October, athletes were running before sunrise to escape a triple-digit heat wave. 

  This month and into December, sunset will occur around 4:50 p.m..

  Stay warm out there tigers!

Sources:livescience.com, weather.gov, timeanddate.com