The average temperature Oct. 3 was 64.1. The next day, it dropped to 63.5. When the temperature reached 48.7 by the morning of Oct. 5, many students were unprepared for the chilly atmosphere. Forced to pull out sweatpants and boots, students’ walks to class were ever so slightly faster — all of us were in search of warmth. The weekend did not cease the decreasing temperatures, reaching as low as 35.1 when the Tigers suited up against the Commodores.

Though the sudden temperature drop seems to have come out of nowhere, it is a fine sign we might pass over fall this year and head straight into winter.

Last year, on Oct. 6, the average temperature reached 66.5, the minimum just barely hitting 50. This weekend was the perfect opportunity for extremists to further debate this is the end of the world and for the environmental experts to push against global warming.

I wouldn’t worry too much about the huge dip in temperature we saw this past weekend — during the last ten years, Columbia’s temperatures have stayed in the 50s and 60s. But there are some consequences this premature winter might bring that students should be on the lookout for.

Perhaps the most physically draining of the bunch is catching the flu. The flu season is on its way, and it has already affected many students I know on campus. People develop fevers, sore throats and body aches. Their performances in school are worse due to feeling ill, and students must find time to make appointments at the health clinic when they notice they have these symptoms.

College students are more likely to come in contact with a virus since they live in close proximity to other students, said Susan Even, the Student Health Center’s executive director and the campus chief student health officer, in [a 2012 Student Health Center press release](http://studenthealth.missouri.edu/needtoknow/flu/media.html).

What is not mentioned, however, is how much faster these viruses spread in the cold environment.

To take precaution, all students should get a flu shot this October. They are only $12 if purchased at a clinic on campus. I recommend they do it quickly, as it takes a few weeks for the body to resist the virus. It is possible to get the flu after receiving the vaccination if one is exposed to the virus beforehand.

During Student Health Week on Oct. 8 and 11, students can get a cupcake after completing their flu shots — more than 33,000 cupcakes were purchased for the event. The clinics are open from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and are located in the Student Center.

In the meantime, follow the Student Health Center’s advice. Stay in the dorms if you’re sick. Don’t push yourself to go to class — you will infect your classmates. Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue and throw it away after you use it.

Wash your hands and buy yourself some hand sanitizer. And, as if this wasn’t obvious enough, don’t share food or drinks.

So, bundle up! It’s the easiest way to protect yourself from the flu.