Updated as of 9:32 p.m. on Feb. 19 to include additional information about university operations.
A white blanket of snow is covering Elon University’s campus as an anticipated winter storm reached North Carolina on Wednesday afternoon, Feb. 19. Flurries began falling around noon and have continued since.
The snow is expected to continue through the afternoon and into the evening around 11 p.m. according to AccuWeather. Elon is predicted to receive around one to three inches of snow during the day with one to two inches this evening.
Alamance County is currently under a winter weather advisory issued Feb. 19 at 10:35 a.m., along with Forsyth, Guilford, Orange, Durham, Davidson, Randolph and Chatham counties. Areas of central North Carolina are expected to get hit hardest by the storm, with three to four inches of snow anticipated.
During an emergency briefing on Tuesday, North Carolina Gov. Josh Stein declared a State of Emergency.
“We urge all travelers to stay off the road once the storm hits on Wednesday, to keep their devices charged, and to monitor local weather,” Stein said during the emergency briefing.
Forecasters say the storm will continue to bring winds and below-average temperatures for the next few days.
In preparation for the storm, all Alamance-Burlington School System schools and facilities were closed on Wednesday, while Elon University canceled classes past noon and closed many university offices at noon.
In an email sent out to students Wednesday evening, Vice President for Student Life Jon Dooley stated Elon University will be monitoring the weather forecast and conditions throughout the evening and into the morning, planning to share the status of classes and university operations early Thursday morning.
Dooley shared a delayed start schedule in the email which shows adjusted class times. According to the email, the schedules for Elon Law and graduate program classes will be determined by the program leaders if there is a delay. Dooley wrote if classes are cancelled, faculty have the option to organize out-of-class assignments and hold online class meetings during the regularly scheduled time.
If the university follows its normal schedule on Thursday, Dooley shared the Severe Weather Guide which offers direction to students, faculty or staff who live far from campus or have personal circumstances that could make it unsafe to travel to campus.
According to the email from Dooley, the decision will be shared through the E-Alert system, along with an email.