Penn State, local school districts dismiss early for anticipated icy road conditions
Centre County has been hit with its fair share of winter weather this week, and the last blast led Penn State and local school districts to dismiss early Thursday.
Early dismissals came when temperatures were still above freezing, but with the ground wet from rainfall and temperatures expected to drop, Penn State, school districts and local businesses closed early.
Penn State’s University Park campus dismissed students early at 12:30 p.m. and faculty and staff at 1 p.m. The early dismissal caused traffic backups on Park Avenue as employees and students made their way off campus.
According to a news release, only employees previously identified as performing essential services were asked to stay beyond the official release time, unless advised otherwise by their supervisor. Normal operations at Penn State are scheduled to resume at 5 a.m. Friday.
Philipsburg-Osceola Area School District was the first Centre County district to announce early dismissal on Thursday morning. P-O dismissed students early from all schools “ahead of dropping temperatures that will likely cause icing conditions on the wet roadways,” according to Hope Fire Company’s Facebook page.
Bellefonte, Bald Eagle, State College and Penns Valley Area school districts all dismissed students 2-2.5 hours before regular dismissal Thursday. All after-school activities were canceled. A STEAM night scheduled at Penns Valley Elementary and Intermediate School was postponed for a later date, according to a message from the district.
State College Friends School and Young Scholars of Central PA Charter School also dismissed students early.
Parts of Centre County experienced spots of slickness during the morning commute Thursday, but temperatures hovered in the upper 30s to low 40s in most places, said National Weather Service meteorologist Craig Evanego.
Though the air temperature was above freezing in most places, he said, “the ground was a little bit slower to recover temperature wise” and there might be some lingering ice or slushiness.
By early evening, temperatures are expected to drop 10-15 degrees, which means “anything that’s still wet by this evening could refreeze,” Evanego said.
The rain is predicted to end before temperatures drop, but there could be some wet snowflakes that mix in before it ends.
Places that don’t see much sun this time of year, or slopes that face north, could see ice and slush. People who are traveling today should be conscientious of potentially icy roadways, he said, and travel with care.
Heading into Friday, according to the NWS in State College, there is a slight chance of snow showers between 4 a.m. and 10 a.m. The rest of the day should be partly sunny, with highs from the low to mid 20s. Friday night is expected to be clear and cold, with a low around 10 degrees. A slight chance of snow is expected both Saturday and Sunday, ranging from 20 to 40 percent. Temperatures are not predicted to go above freezing.
This story was originally published January 24, 2019 at 10:26 AM.