Climate & Winter Clothing

The graph lists the average temperature for each month in both scales (°F &°C), as well as the average rainfall (in mm and inches).

When you first land, it will be summer which tends to be humid and warm with average temperatures typically ranging from the low 70s to mid 80s °F (22-27°C). However, when summer is at its peak, temperatures can reach 100°F (40°C) and if that happens as you walk, the heat will pour down your back and the humidity will make you sweat constantly. Be prepared and come with shorts and t-shirts the preferred summer wear.

Autumn, starting mid-September and covering the first few months of your time at Purdue, is the best time to be in Indiana with the average temperatures around 60-70 °F (15°C-21°C). It’s still the beginning of the semester so your responsibilities haven’t taken flight just yet and you can enjoy the longer days. It’s when fall sports are active, and there’s always something to do on the weekends.

From October, it starts getting chillier and winter starts in November with temperatures dropping below freezing in December and January. In the past few years, the winters have varied from a wintry desert to a state blanketed in snow. The last few years have seen record-breaking temperatures, going double digits in the negatives, and the cold is bone-chilling. Due to its location near the Great Lakes region of the United States, West Lafayette experiences frequent snowfall during winter months. The Midwest winters tend to be bitingly cold. I definitely recommend a good winter jacket/parka and a pair of snow boots. They will be your best friends from December to March.

Rain is highly variable throughout the year, but usually averages between 28-33 inches per year.

Purdue’s weather is pretty standard for the Midwest – its notorious for the unique ability to experience all four seasons in one day. It can be 65 degrees on Monday and 10 degrees with snow on Tuesday. Your best bet is to come prepared with umbrellas, rain jackets, high-quality snow boots, and a warm winter coat. It’s incredibly rare (as in, once a decade) that Purdue will cancel any classes due to inclement weather, so you should be ready to brave negative windchills in order to get to class.

In case there is any weather alerts or Purdue closures, you can get the latest status from Purdue on this page – Bookmark this page for future use.

1. Trust that US system in that region is well equipped to handle harsh winters (snow, sleet, blizzard, cold). The system never shuts down.

2. ⁠Ask kids to never underestimate weather and weather warnings in US (we tend to ignore that in our part of the world)

3. ⁠Wearing layers and covering your extremities is important with appropriate clothing

4. ⁠You need thermals but only for the harshest days of winter.

5. ⁠You must protect yourselves when there is an extreme wind chill warning.

6. Don’t venture out in the winter without a fully charged cell phone. Always try and avoid walking or travelling alone. If you fall, there may be no-one to help you or call for help.

7. You will adapt and eventually even enjoy it (just like we adapt crazy traffic or lack of electricity in our part of the world)

As I have said in my Things to Pack post, if you already have something for winter, then bring it along but don’t buy any winter jackets in your home country specially for Purdue. You will probably need to buy them again in USA as the ones from home will probably not be warm enough for the sub -25°F winters. Students have shared that they wished they’d not brought all the clothing they did, when they first arrived to campus. 

If you don’t wear layers on your legs your thighs will feel numb and frozen after ~5 min outside on the coldest days. Get thermal long underwear to put on and some thick sweatpants to wear over. For tops, you can mix and match these layers depending on how cold it is. This is the order from the nearest to the body layering outwards:

First wear an under shirt, then a polyester T-shirt, followed by a long sleeve or a thermal, then a hoodie and finally a heavy winter coat. If you skip a few of the middle layers, make sure you carry them in your backpack so you can wear them in case the temperatures drop further or you keeping getting colder.

If you get a winter coat that is two layers (waterproof shell and thicker inner jacket that zip together) that will help cause then you only need one jacket to transition from fall to winter.

Wear a hat that covers your ears (with ear flaps), and either get a scarf or face mask to cover your nose and mouth cause some days it feels like they might just fall off with the wind. Get gloves with texting fingers. For socks get moisture wicking thick calf high wool socks, and some waterproof boots that have good traction. It gets really icy here and sometimes they don’t snow blow and the snow gets really tall. Tuck your pant layers into your boots by putting your socks over the ends of your pants, that way the snow doesn’t get on you and the bottoms of your pants don’t get soaked. For your gloves put them on before your jacket to get a good seal from the wind. Be prepared to have to take much longer to prepare in the winter.

Winter Jackets: Basically try and get a knee length winter parka or jacket with hood. Filling preferably Down with filling 650 and above for maximum warmth (I got 700). You should prefer those jackets with a waterproof outer shell (Goretex or similar). Great Brands to look for include Patagonia, The North Face, Outdoor Research, Arcteryx, Columbia, LL Bean and Eddie Bauer.

Look out for deals on the following websites;

1. Steepandcheap.com,
2. Moosejaw.com
3. Sierratradingpost,com
4. Backcountry.com and
5. Eddie bauer

Physically, Burlington Factory, located in Lafayette Pavilions Mall, is said to have great prices especially for winter clothes shopping/ winter coats. The Kohls and JC Penney at Tippecanoe Mall are also worth a visit.

For my son, I kept checking the online sales at the above site and just before we left for the US (August 1st week) we came across a great deal on the Marmot Fordham Down Jacket on steepandcheap, reduced to just under a $100 (from $325) and we got it. My son has been using it extensively his first winter at Purdue and he is very happy with that purchase.

The University of Chicago has put together an awesome winter survival guide with suggested places to buy winter clothing from- check it out! You can order these online if the same stores are not there near Purdue.

Winter shoes– We got the Columbia Men’s Bugaboot III Snow Boot for my son. Rather than the snow being cold, the paths become slippery with ice. Sneakers may do but winter boots provide better grip to avoid falls. You can find a list of the best winter shoes to consider here.

Don’t forget chapsticks. My son got cracked lips and they are very painful.

All the winter wear we bought for him, I have included in my Things to Pack & Buy! post in the attachment with links to the items.