3B
A
fter classes were canceled in January
this semester, I wondered just how
extreme weather conditions must
be in order for an extreme decision like this
to be made by the University. Though there
is no official record of school closings, The
Daily archives show the University has only
canceled classes for extreme weather five
times for a total span of seven days since it
was founded in 1817.
The first time the University closed was
during the winter of 1945, and though no
specific date could be found, we know it was
only for one day. The second closing on Dec.
2, 1974, was caused by extreme snowfall
from the previous day. The third happened
Jan. 27 and 28, 1978, and it was the first time
the University canceled classes for more
than one day.
Between 1978 and 2014, the University
changed its definition for canceling classes
due to weather from “Closure for Weather”
to “Reduction of Operations for Weather.”
The reason for this change seems to be that
the closure of some University facilities,
such as dorms and dining halls, would leave
students stranded in a time of extreme
weather.
Therefore,
some
University
operations such as classes and academic
buildings would be shut down for extreme
weather, but not integral operations relating
to students’ safety and well-being on
campus like operations providing access to
University grounds and communications.
This change was first exhibited on Jan.
28, 2014, when the University reduced
operations by canceling classes, making this
the first cancellation due to weather in 36
years.
Most recently, on Jan. 30 and 31, 2019, the
University reduced operations by canceling
classes for two days.
This research, and the cancellations that
occurred this semester, prompted me to
collect weather data for the four winters
where the University canceled class from
the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration. I wanted to know why
these cancellations were so few and far
between.
This scatterplot shows the most extreme
weather days from 1960 to 2019, and displays
where the exact days of school closures have
fallen over this time.
In order to contextualize the conditions
of each individual winter, I created this
graph, which shows temperatures and snow
depth for each of the four winters during
which the University canceled classes, with
the red line indicating when the University
canceled classes.
The data shows that the reduced
operations on Jan. 28, 2014 and Jan. 30
and 31, 2019, happened due to extreme cold
weather, with extreme low temperatures
falling to minus 11 degrees Fahrenheit
during 2014, and minus 18 degrees
Fahrenheit during 2019. The closures on
Dec. 2, 1974 and Jan. 26 and 27, 1978 were
due to extreme snow accumulation.
Overall, according to NOAA data from
weather stations in the Ann Arbor area,
there have only been 25 days since 1960
where minimum temperatures reached
below minus 10 degrees Fahrenheit. In
that same time, there have been seven days
where the daily snowfall was greater than
10 inches.
After evaluating winter weather data
in conjunction with University closures, it
is still unclear how the University makes
such monumental decisions to reduce
its operations due to extreme weather.
This decision-making process will have
to continue to evolve with our changing
climate and technology, as is reflected in
this weather data analysis.
Wednesday, April 10, 2019 // The Statement
3B
BY SOPHIE HOFFMAN, DAILY WEB DEVELOPER
Extreme Weather at the ‘U’
ALL VISUALIZATIONS BY ROBERT LESSER AND WILLA HUA
View the interactive version at
MichiganDaily.com
Minimum Daily Temperature (°F)
Daily Snowfall (inches)