Centre County schools announce closings, Flexible Instruction Days ahead of icy weather
With a winter weather advisory that will be in effect until noon Thursday, every public school district in Centre County has announced that they will not be carrying on the school day as usual — and the same held true for Penn State.
State College Area School District and Philipsburg-Osceola School District both announced they would be closed Thursday. The other districts — Bald Eagle Area, Bellefonte, Penns Valley — said they would operate as Flexible Instruction Days. And Penn State issued a news release that said all University Park classes, activities and work would be canceled from 5 a.m. Thursday until noon Thursday.
“The decision to cancel classes, work and other activities at University Park was determined to be in the best safety interest of the University community,” the release stated, adding that only employees who perform “essential” services were still expected to report before noon. “University officials are continuing to monitor conditions and will provide updates as necessary.”
In an email to parents, State College Area School District added that its after-school activities will still occur as scheduled. If that changes, the district said it would let the community know.
Most of the public announcements all came within an hour of one another, starting around 6 p.m. Wednesday.
The closures and Flexible Instruction Days come on the heels of a winter weather advisory that was reissued Wednesday morning by the National Weather Service. (A similar advisory was issued Tuesday.) The most recent advisory is in effect from 10 p.m. Wednesday until noon Thursday.
According to the NWS, mixed precipitation is expected — with total snow/sleet accumulations up to an inch and total ice accumulations between one- and two-tenths of an inch.
“Plan on slippery road conditions,” the NWS advisory read. “The hazardous conditions could impact the Thursday morning commute.”
The NWS issues winter advisories, watches and warnings throughout the season. Warnings are the most severe, followed by watches and then advisories. A winter weather advisory — such as the most recent one in Centre County — simply asks for people to exercise caution because the wintry weather, which might be light, could cause slippery conditions. A warning lets people know heavy precipitation is expected and should cause significant impacts such as closed roads.
For road conditions and road closures, visit 511PA.com. And for weather updates, visit weather.gov/ctp or AccuWeather.com.
This story was originally published February 5, 2025 at 7:27 PM.
