7 inches of snow bury campus in worst storm in 8 years

When Sadia Gado Alzouma invited her friend to visit Richmond last weekend, she intended to show her a stunning campus set against the backdrop of a warm spring-like day.

Instead, Alzouma, an international student from Niger, saw her first snow and took photos of a campus draped in white after a significant snowstorm struck the university Sunday evening and continued into Monday, burying the campus under 7 inches of snow.

The university canceled all undergraduate, law and continuing studies classes, and all scheduled events for Monday. The last snowfall to close school occurred during December of 2005, when several inches of snow resulted in an accident on River Road that led to a campus-wide power outage for several hours.

Temperatures then plummeted Monday night, ushering in hazardous ice and a record-low temperature of 11 degrees. The previous record low of 14 degrees occurred in 1925, according to the National Weather Service. Despite the cold, the university functioned normally on Tuesday, save for a few people stumbling on the ice.

Facilities crews worked throughout the day Monday and Tuesday to clear parking lots, sidewalks and other parts of campus.

Gov. Timothy M. Kaine declared a state of emergency in the wake of the snowstorm, calling it the worst winter event to affect Virginia in eight years.

"So far our counties, cities and towns are coping very well with all the snow, wind and power outages," Kaine said in a statement, authorizing state agencies to offer assistance to local governments.

"We want to be able to move quickly if additional help is needed to protect the health and safety of our citizens."

The Virginia Department of Emergency Management stayed on call with teams from several state agencies, major utilities and other affiliated organizations, which coordinated the state's response, the statement said. Virginia's National Guard was also prepared to respond.

Lt. Doug Perry, spokesman for the Henrico County Police Department, said that police had received 268 calls for service between 5 p.m. Sunday and 7 a.m. Tuesday. During the beginning stages of storm, between 5 p.m. Sunday and midnight Monday, the department received 183 of its total calls, he said.

Of the 268 calls, 56 were reportable, meaning they involved more significant incidents involving injury to persons or damage greater than $1,000 in damage, he said. Many of the other calls comprised reports of fallen tree limbs obstructing roads, downed wires and abandoned vehicles, he said.

Joe Deso, a supervisor with the Henrico County Department of Public Works, said Tuesday that snow on all county roads had been pushed aside and that any remaining ice would melt in the sun.

Still, about 32,000 people in the Richmond-Petersburg area were without power as of Monday night because of the storm, which was the largest to hit the area since Jan. 3, 2002, when 7.7 inches fell on the City of Richmond. The storm was also the largest for March since 13 inches of snow fell March 1 and 2, 1980, according to the National Weather Service.

Perhaps in anticipation of Monday's closing, dozens of Richmond students relished in the snowfall Sunday night. Amid blustery winds, cracking tree limbs and flickering lights, throngs of rowdy students seized makeshift sleds -- trash bags, dining hall trays and Tupperware container covers, among them -- and swarmed the hills in front of Boatwright Library and behind the Modlin Center for the Arts, throwing snowballs and sliding down mountains of white, wet powder. Others rolled piles of heavy wet snow into massive balls to build snowmen.

Some students, reminded of home, rejoiced in the winter weather.

"It feels like I'm back in Buffalo," freshman Jeff Hunt said.

Sophomores Molly Schaefer, from Tennessee, and Shannon Hedrick, from Louisiana, spent an hour outside Sunday night, embracing weather they might not otherwise see in their home states. Hedrick said she saw a snow plow for the first time last year.

"We're from the South but we really like the snow," Schaefer said.

In front of Boatwright Library, freshman Hannah Kelley, a Connecticut native, admitted she hated snow and said she joined in the festivities only because her friend, freshman Marc Hess, forced her.

"This snowstorm is the pinnacle of my experience at the University of Richmond," Hess said.

Near the Modlin Center, swirling winds weren't too strong to keep a group of students sledding down a hill. The sleds were being torn from their hands by the storm, but the students persisted.

Sophomore Tim Quinn, who lives in Rochester, N.Y., said snow at home frustrated him because it never disappeared after it accumulated.

"I like the snow here because it comes, is fun to play in, and then it goes away quickly," he said.

Elsewhere, a snowball fight involving 50 students broke out outside of Dennis Hall.

"Even though we were fighting with snowballs," said freshman Asa Spencer, "I felt it brought unity to the student body because students that otherwise wouldn't have interacted were engaging in a friendly snowball fight."

Students continued to revel in the snow Monday. Braving the frigid air, about 100 students took to the Westhampton Green and engaged in a snowball fight. Some students employed slingshots to launch snowballs.

Dining services operated on a limited basis Monday because fewer employees were able to make it into work. Heilman Dining Center remained open until 7 p.m. and Tyler's Grill remained open through lunch, while Freshens, 8:15 at Boatwright and campus convenience store ETC stayed closed.

Contact reporters Jimmy Young and Dan Petty at jimmy.young@richmond.edu and dan.petty@richmond.edu