Penn State delays, Centre County schools close due to icy road conditions
Penn State will delay opening and local school districts will be closed Tuesday due to icy road conditions in Centre County.
The area is under a winter weather advisory effective as of 4 a.m., and Penn State announced Monday evening that all work and activities on the University Park campus are canceled from 5 to 10 a.m. After initially issuing delays, the State College, Bald Eagle, Bellefonte, Penns Valley and Philipsburg-Osceola area school districts announced Tuesday morning school buildings will be closed.
Due to the forecast, the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation issued travel restrictions for some of the county’s highways starting early Tuesday. Most of the restrictions were lifted by 10 a.m.
“Plan on slippery road conditions,” the National Weather Service advisory from Monday reads. “The hazardous conditions could impact the Tuesday morning commute.”
The National Weather Service forecasts up to one-tenth of an inch of ice, while commercial forecaster AccuWeather says trace amounts to 0.15 inches are likely from Snow Shoe to State College. The advisory said higher elevations are especially likely to experience ice accumulations.
Motorcycles, RVs, trailers, empty tractor-trailers and buses without chains were banned from U.S. Route 322 east of Interstate 99, starting at 3 a.m., with speed limits reduced to 45 mph. The same restrictions were in effect on Interstate 80 east of the Centre County line. Vehicle bans on Centre County’s two interstates were lifted by about 10 a.m., though a speed limit of 55 mph remained in effect on Interstate 80.
The ice event is the latest in a whipsaw end to winter. A dud of a snowstorm last weekend gave way to drivers taking out their convertibles this weekend. Sunday saw trace amounts of snow, and Monday morning temperatures were as low as 19 degrees.
Temperatures in the high 60s and low 70s are expected by the end of the week.
This story was originally published March 2, 2026 at 4:27 PM.
