University opens Tuesday after first snow day in three years

March 3, 9:58 a.m. -- Despite temperatures in the teens and some icy roadways and sidewalks, the University of Richmond will be open today and operating on a normal business and class schedule, university officials announced at 5:30 a.m.

Students braved bitterly cold temperatures -- around 17 degrees -- on the way to classes this morning. Some sidewalks, including those around the lake and across the Tyler Haynes Commons, were caked in ice. Landscaping crews were dispatched at 5 a.m. to continue clearing snow and ice, according to a recording on the voicemail of Steve Glass, the university's landscape manager.

Last night, whirring generators were still sounding in neighborhoods immediately off campus as thousands continued to endure the weather without power. About 16,900 people in the Richmond-Petersburg area were still without electricity as of 10 a.m. Tuesday, according to Dominion Virginia Power.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. The Collegian's updates and earlier story is below. Continue checking back with The Collegian for the latest news and information.

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March 2, 7:51 p.m. -- Temperatures that are forecast to plummet into the lower- to mid-teens could usher in a new hazard from the winter snowstorm: ice.

Sidewalks at the University of Richmond have begun to freeze over in addition to some roadways, which could pose a hazard during tomorrow morning's commute.

University of Richmond officials still expect to open on schedule tomorrow, but any decision about changes won't be made until 5:30 a.m. Tuesday.

About 32,000 people in the Richmond-Petersburg area are still without power 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 from March 1-2, 1980, according to the National Weather Service.

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March 2, 2:12 p.m. -- Gov. Timothy M. Kaine has 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."

About 48,800 customers in the Richmond metro area with Dominion Virginia Power are still without electricity.

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

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March 2, 1:47 p.m. -- The Dining Hall will close early today at 7 p.m., and Tyler's Grill will close at 2:30 p.m., according to the latest information from Dining Services officials.

Elsewhere on campus, Boatwright Memorial Library will remain open until 1 a.m., and the Recreation and Wellness Center is closed. All employees deemed "essential" have been asked to report to campus.

The university's e-waste event scheduled for Tuesday has been postponed, with information about rescheduling to be released soon.

University officials now say they expect to open on time Tuesday and operate a normal class and business schedule, but that information is subject to change.

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March 2, 11:42 a.m. -- Snowfall from the winter storm has largely ended, save for occasional snow showers that are expected to last through noon today.

The university's planned test of the emergency communications systems has been canceled and will be rescheduled, but a normal monthly test of the tornado warning system will occur at 1:25 p.m. today.

Dining services is operating on a limited basis because fewer employees were able to make it into work today. Heilman Dining Center is open, and Tyler's Grill is open through lunch, while Freshens, 8:15 at Boatwright and campus convenience store ETC are closed. Dining services officials say operating hours for all locations are subject to change, and an additional update is expected by noon. Three dining services employees stayed on campus last night at the Jepson Alumni Center to ensure food services were available to the university community, said Dee Hardy, director of food and auxiliary services.

Boatwright Memorial Library and university computer labs are also open, according to a 10 a.m. emergency update from the university.

Forecasters don't anticipate any additional accumulation, but wind gusts from the north are expected to pick up and blow snow around, reducing visibility to under a mile in some spots, according to the latest advisory from the National Weather Service in Wakefield, Va., at 9:07 a.m.

Many roadways around campus -- including portions of College Road and Boatwright Drive -- covered with slushy snow. Facilities crews from the University of Richmond are continuing to work to clear parking lots and other parts of campus.

Temperatures are not forecast to rise much above freezing tonight, which could be potentially hazardous, particularly on any uncleared side roads. University officials will also assess conditions Tuesday morning, said Brian Eckert, director of media and public relations.

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March 2, 7:04 a.m. -- Continued snowfall has forced the University of Richmond to close today.

All undergraduate, law and continuing studies classes are canceled, including all scheduled events, but employees deemed essential to the university's operations have been called to campus.

The Dining Hall will be open at 7:15 a.m. to offer a continental breakfast, with hot meal service beginning at 8:30 a.m., said Brian Eckert, the university's director of media and public relations. He said the dining hall's hours could be adjusted from their normal schedule, but meal service would continue to be provided. The Dining Services Web site will offer up-to-date information about Monday's schedule.

The Richmond area is currently under a winter storm warning. Forecasters are calling for an addition two to four inches of snow as low pressure east of the Virginia Capes will lift northeast early this morning to the New England coast this afternoon and evening. That brings the potential total snow accumulation to between four and eight inches.

Snow showers and scattered flurries will continue into late morning, according to the latest advisory from the National Weather Service at 6:16 a.m. Winds from the north at 15 to 20 mph with gusts to 30 mph will lead to reduced visibility, considerable snow blowing and drifting snow, according to the advisory.

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March 2, 2:59 a.m. -- After several hours of snowfall early Sunday evening followed by a brief hiatus, another round of heavy snow is slamming into the University of Richmond campus.

Several inches of snow have already accumulated in what has proven to be the heaviest snowfall for the Richmond area in at least four years. Roads remain slick and in some cases are unplowed, and Dominion Virginia Power is reporting that about 71,600 customers are without electricity.

Winds are blowing out of the north at 12 mph, gusting at times to 30 mph, limiting visibility to about three-quarters of a mile, according to the National Weather Service. Snowfall estimations as of the latest advisory are still expected to be between two and five inches.

Plows at the University of Richmond are working to clear parking lots and main roadways, but certain parking lots and roadways near the University Forest Apartments have not been plowed since early Sunday evening.

Off-campus, major roadways are mostly clear, but a thin layer of fresh snow is beginning to cover them. Many side roads have yet to be cleared.

Campus officials have said that any decision about scheduling changes will be made around 5:30 a.m. Monday.

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March 1, 8:55 p.m. -- Students are showing up in numbers outside, spontaneously starting snowball fights, sledding down hills on dining hall trays and building snowmen. Snowfall is lighter than it was an hour ago, but it continues to steadily fall from the sky.

6:50 p.m. -- Steady snow is falling at the University of Richmond campus, where light snow accumulations have begun mounting on roadways and grass. Earlier this afternoon, a mixture of sleet and rain coated the roadways for several hours.

The Cellar and 8:15 at Boatwright will close at 9 p.m. because of the inclement weather.

The National Weather Service in Wakefield, Va., has revised its forecast down to between two and five inches of snow by noon Monday.

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March 1, 2:18 p.m. -- The National Weather Service has issued a winter storm warning for the Richmond area from 6 p.m. today until noon Monday in anticipation of several inches of snow.

Between two and six inches are expected to fall throughout this evening and into Monday, according to the latest advisory from meteorologists at the National Weather Service in Wakefield, Va. Snowfall will be its heaviest during the evening and early tonight.

An announcement about changes to the University of Richmond's normal operations, including class cancellations, will not be made until around 5:30 a.m. Monday, said Brian Eckert, the university's director of media and public relations. The baseball team's game scheduled against Iona College for 2 p.m. has been canceled, but the women's basketball is still playing St. Louis University this afternoon at the Robins Center.

The university community can check weather information on the university's main Web site and its oncampus homepage, or by calling 804-289-8760. Information about possible closings will also be sent to local TV and radio outlets, but Eckert said checking the school's emergency phone line and Web site would be the most up-to-date and accurate source. The university would continue to provide dining services even if classes were to cancel.

"This would not be the first time we've had a forecast of a large snowfall, and little came of it," Eckert said. "But we're monitoring the situation. The main problems occur with staff and employees getting to school. That's usually what causes us to close."

Still, weather conditions are ideal for significant southern snowfall because of the storm's south-to-north trajectory, said Chris Vaccaro, a spokesman for the National Weather Service in Washington, D.C.

"This is a classic southern snowfall situation," Vaccaro said. "It's the ideal setup for snowfall to be as far as south as it will be in this storm."

He said plentiful cold air in areas located to the north and west of the system's path -- including Richmond -- would result in the most snow.

The low pressure system, currently near the Georgia coast, is expected to move northeast this afternoon, reaching the mid-Atlantic coast tonight. A mixture of rain with sleet will likely fall as the system approaches the area, and once the system passes the mid-Atlantic coast, colder air rushing into the area during the evening will change the rain over to snow.

On Monday afternoon, meteorologists expect clouds to break for sun, with a high temperature near 31 degrees. Blustery winds from the north will between 16 and 20 mph, and by Monday evening, mostly clear skies with a low near 13 are expected.

A winter storm warning means significant amounts of snow are anticipated, which could make travel hazardous. National Weather Service officials urge travelers to allow extra time to reach their destinations and to drive slowly, being sure to leave plenty of space between cars.

The last snowfall to close school occurred in December 2005, when several inches of snow resulted in an accident on River Road that led to a campus-wide power outage for several hours.

Contact staff writer Dan Petty at dan.petty@richmond.edu