UPDATE Thursday 8:02 p.m.: Duke canceled classes until Friday at 10 a.m.
Either shocked to see the rare appearance of snow or disappointed by the puddles on the ground, Duke students witnessed their first snow of the school year, and Durham its first of the decade, today.
Despite the snow, Duke will maintain normal operations through Thursday evening, according to a Duke Today update. As of 6:15 p.m., the snow is expected to last until Friday at 1 a.m. and accumulate to 1-3 inches, according to AccuWeather.
“A decision regarding the activation of Duke’s Severe Weather and Emergency Conditions policy will be made later this evening,” the update read.
With light flurries beginning around 4 p.m., Vice President of Administration Kyle Cavanaugh wrote in an email to The Chronicle that there are a number of crews working Duke’s properties with pre-treatment now and throughout the evening.
“Our emergency management team will continue to assess the situation and any changes for tomorrow will be communicated to the entire community,” he wrote.
Tenters in Krzyzewskiville will get grace until Friday at 10 a.m., per a text from line monitors sent to tenters received at 2:54 p.m.
The Academic Council meeting scheduled for today was postponed due to the “pending inclement weather.” As a result, council chair Kerry Haynie—associate professor of political science and African & African American studies—and the executive council will reschedule certain items on today’s agenda for a future meeting.
According to the update, Duke’s early voting site will also have abbreviated hours. Voting Thursday, Feb. 20 ended at 3:30 p.m. and voting Friday, Feb. 21 is set to begin at 1 p.m. and close at 7:30 p.m. To compensate, Saturday, Feb. 22 voting will be extended to 7:30 p.m from the original 5 p.m. closing time.
Duke Health visitors were advised to refer to the Duke Health website for changes in the hours and status of clinics and other facilities.
Earlier this morning, Cavanaugh wrote an email to university managers detailing that a winter storm advisory has been issued for central North Carolina until 7 a.m. Friday. The snow, he wrote, is projected to continue through Thursday evening and end early Friday morning.
“Temperatures will drop below freezing after midnight, which could lead to icy patches on roads and walkways early Friday,” he wrote. “The heaviest snow is expected along and north of the Highway 64 corridor mainly from the Triangle region eastward, where 2-4 inches of snow is expected. Localized higher amounts are possible.”
Get The Chronicle straight to your inbox
Signup for our weekly newsletter. Cancel at any time.
Mona Tong is a Trinity senior and director of diversity, equity and inclusion analytics for The Chronicle's 117th volume. She was previously news editor for Volume 116.