Warning of up to 10 inches of snow and hazardous travel conditions on Wednesday, the National Weather Service issued a winter storm warning for Tompkins County and the surrounding region.
Cornell is open and operating normally. The University last shut down because of snow on March 14 of last year, when the campus closed for a full day for the first time since 1993, The Sun previously reported.
TCAT, the county’s bus service, is operating on Wednesday, but its spokesperson, Patty Poist, said to anticipate “sporadic delays.”
“Due to weather conditions, some buses may be delayed,” Poist said. “Passengers are urged to be at their bus stops on time and dress warmly!”
Route 14 was the only route on a snow detour as of 5:15 p.m. More details and the latest updates on route detours can be found on TCAT’s website.
Cameron Pollack / Sun File Photo
Some TCAT routes are on a snow detour today. Above, a TCAT bus is pictured in 2016
The Ithaca City School District canceled all district activities on Wednesday, and the Mayor Svante Myrick ’09 canceled Wednesday’s Common Council meeting.
Cornell’s Black Students United said on Facebook that Prof. Ross Brann’s lecture on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict would be rescheduled.
The winter storm warning is in effect from 4 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Wednesday, and snow could fall as fast as one to two inches per hour, the weather service said.
The weather service predicted between 5 and 8 inches total, but gave a 10 percent chance that Ithaca could see 10 inches of snow. The flurries should taper off by Wednesday evening.
Steady snow will begin between 5 and 7 in the morning, the service said. During the heaviest snowfall period — expected between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. — as much as one to two inches could accumulate per hour.
Emma Hoarty / Sun Staff Photographer
A winter snow storm shuts down campus on March 14, 2017.
Marc Alessi ’18, co-president of the Cornell chapter of the American Meteorological Society, said he had been constantly following the models and keeping up-to-date on the forecasts.
“It’s honestly such a quick storm [and has] such high snowfall rates,” he said.
The National Weather Service in Binghamton gave an 86 percent chance that Ithaca would see at least 4 inches of snow, a 63 percent chance that Ithaca would get at least 6 inches, and a 32 percent chance that more than 8 inches of snow would pile up in Ithaca on Wednesday.
“Plan on difficult travel conditions, including during the morning commute on Wednesday,” the service said in its warning. “Be prepared for significant reductions in visibility at times.”
The service recommended that if people do travel, they bring a flashlight, food and water in their vehicle in case of an emergency.
This post will be updated with the latest weather and warning information, which can also be found at the National Weather Service here. More Ithaca closings can be found at the Ithaca Voice.