Ohio State cancels early Thursday classes, starts resuming normal operations

Edward Sutelan
Thu, 31 Jan 2019 02:35:31 +0000
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A student walks across The Oval braving the frigid temperates while classes were canceled on Wednesday, Jan. 30. Credit: Casey Cascaldo | Photo Editor

Ohio State’s campus was nearly empty Wednesday, with classes being canceled due to weather for just the 14th time since 1978.

While there will not be a 15th day of canceled classes in the near future, students will still be able to sleep in a little longer on Thursday.

The university announced Wednesday afternoon that campus will reopen at 7 a.m. Thursday, but classes before 11 a.m. will be canceled.

A release sent out by the university said all staff should report to work according to their normal schedule.

“The health, safety and well-being of our students, faculty and staff continues to be our top priority,” the release said. “The university takes very seriously our obligation to provide the full measure of instruction to tuition-paying students, and for that reason, we try to remain open. In consultation with medical experts and our public safety professionals, the university has determined we can do so safely.”

Andy Hatzos, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service in Wilmington, Ohio, said the high on Thursday will be 11 degrees in the afternoon and the low will be minus 8 in the morning. However, factoring in wind chill, there will be a high of zero in the afternoon and a low of minus 22 in the morning.

Hatzos said there will be steady winds around 10 mph throughout the day, and the weather Thursday morning will be similar to the conditions Wednesday afternoon.

While it will gradually warm up, Hatzos warned that frostbite can still occur in 20 to 30 minutes if skin is exposed.

All student life services, including dining facilities and recreational facilities, will return to normal operation Thursday morning. Wexner Medical Center locations and Student Health Services will also remain open.