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)

