As students trek back to campus after Thanksgiving Break, Cornell’s Ithaca campus is under a Winter Storm Watch from Sunday until Monday night. Approximately eight to 12 inches of snow are expected to hit Ithaca starting Sunday morning.
Multiple transportation services have made inclement weather changes for weekend travelers. The company OurBus canceled all its Sunday trips to Ithaca and added additional Saturday trips, according to 14850.com. Coach USA’s Shortline Ithaca Platinum service rescheduled all Sunday departures to leave between 9 a.m. and 10 a.m. Other Shortline buses leaving from New York City on Sunday will only operate between 8 a.m. to 10:15 a.m, according to the service’s website.
On Sunday, forecasts predict moderate to heavy snow— falling at around one inch per hour. The National Weather Service reported that sleet and freezing drizzle will join the mix starting in the evening. Even heavier snowfall is predicted for Ithaca on Monday, at around two inches per hour.
As of publication time Saturday night, University Administration had not yet announced their decision on whether classes will be in session on Monday.
We are closely monitoring an approaching winter storm that is expected to bring snow and icy conditions to the region through Monday evening. For those traveling back to campus, please prioritize your safety and avoid unnecessary risks. Monitor https://t.co/o3hIC4ug7B for updates
— Cornell University (@Cornell) December 1, 2019
Currently, all flights scheduled for Sunday are expected to arrive on time to the Ithaca Tompkins Regional Airport.
The National Weather Service said that travel could be “very difficult to impossible,” with the worst travel conditions taking place on Monday.
Aidan Mahoney ’22, co-president of the Cornell’s American Meteorological Society, told The Sun that the conditions on Sunday could still interfere with any travel plans in the Northeast.
Mahoney recommended that students aim to get back to campus by Saturday night to avoid any travel disruptions. Otherwise, Mahoney advised that students try to leave as early as possible on Sunday to avoid bearing the brunt of the storm.
Mahoney and fellow member Jack Sillin ’22 published a detailed report of conditions and recommendations for student travelers on the Cornell Weather Facebook page on Saturday afternoon.
While Cornell has kept its residential halls and certain dining halls open during Thanksgiving Break, the University has not made any announcement on the impending storm. The University also did not respond to a request for comment by time of publication.
As the University has often kept classes in session despite past inclement weather, the weather has inspired a flurry of memes from students, poking fun at the rare likelihood that Cornell will cancel classes on Monday. The storm also led students to circulate a petition, calling on President Martha E. Pollack to cancel classes Monday. At publication time, the petition had 430 signatures.
Nearby, Ithaca College is reopening its residential halls early, requiring students to fill out a form if they plan to return to campus before Sunday at 12 p.m has canceled Monday classes. Other universities, including Binghamton University and SUNY Geneseo, announced that they would cancel classes on Monday because of the storm.