At the guide, our staff is known for having strong opinions about pretty much everything. We’re taking stands on the pop culture issues that really matter, from tween stars to the movies that make us smile, from catchy pop songs to the stories that are dominating the Internet.

Feb. 2 may seem to be a day just like any other, but, for a small town in rural Pennsylvania, the fate of the nation’s future lies in the balance. On one fateful morning each year, we put a decision that will guide our wardrobe choices for the next two months in the hands of a skittish groundhog and believe the outcome will actually mean something. Sometimes he’s right, sometimes he’s wrong, but this year, Punxsutawney Phil, the supposed paradigm of rodent-based meteorology, let us all down in a big way.

It has been more than six weeks since Phil emerged from his hideaway — with some assistance from his smartly dressed handlers — to reveal that his shadow was nowhere to be seen. The nation let out a sigh of relief. We then knew that winter would soon be coming to an end and that we would be tanning on Healy beach before we knew it.

Not quite. Ever since Phil’s announcement that spring was coming, Washington, D.C., has had some truly terrible weather. Freezing temperatures and a seemingly constant onslaught of dreary rain — not to mention the massive “Snowquester” storm that just missed D.C. over spring break — have all left the District with a serious case of weather shell-shock.

This past week in particular has been ridiculous. Mother Nature seems to have developed a serious case of indecision. One day, it’s too warm to wear anything other than shorts, and the next, we wake up to freezing temperatures and a light dusting of snow on the ground.

For some students, this weather zaniness is the norm. Students from the Northeast, Midwest or other places that have serious winters know that the arrival of spring is a fickle business. Not only are they mentally prepared to cope but they also have all the right kinds of clothes to navigate the rapidly fluctuating temperatures. There must be something in the water that just makes those students impervious to the cold. It could also just be that you’re used to it, but we favor the conspiracy theories.

And what about students from warmer climates? Well, it pretty much just sucks to be you. Not only is it freezing out, but it’s a crapshoot as to whether the weather will stay the same throughout the entire day. It can be cloudy, overcast and miserable when you leave your apartment, and before you know it, the sun’s out and everyone around you is dressed in shorts and sundresses while you look like you belong on an Arctic expedition. Or it can look sunny with blue skies from your window and be colder than a penguin’s freezer, and suddenly you can’t feel your face.

We can only hope that now that we are approaching Easter break, the weather will take a turn for the sunnier and we can finally enjoy everything the best season in D.C. has to offer. There is sun to be soaked up, there are Cherry Blossoms to be seen, there are GUGS burgers to be eaten and — most importantly — there’s a certain celebration of the last day of classes approaching.