Snowfall Expected to Set All-Time Mark

Balmy temperatures last week seemed to mark the end of one of Boston's snowiest winters, one just short of beating the all-time record for snowfall in a season set during the winter of 1993-94.

But a late-season snowstorm that hit the region yesterday will probably have broken the record of 96.3 inches by this morning, according to the National Weather Service.

At press time, the total accumulation of snowfall for this season was 89.9 inches, with roughly eight to 12 expected to have fallen last night.

Despite the record amount of snow, Harvard administrators have yet to cancel classes--the University has not closed down for snow conditions since the famed blizzard of 1978, according to former Dean of the College L. Fred Jewett '57.

"This [snowstorm] would be considered kids' stuff," said Jewett.

But not all of Harvard has been up and running throughout the storm. Radcliffe, for one, decided to close yesterday, forcing the cancellation of the weekly meeting of the Radcliffe Union of Students (RUS), according to co-president Megan L. Peimer '97.

"Not in my memory have we ever canceled," said Peimer. "We never cancel."

The inclement conditions have also led to an increase in the number of pedestrian accidents, said an official at Professional Ambulance Service (PAS).

"It's definitely busier than normal, emergency-wise," said PAS Director of Operations Bill C. Mergendahl, citing an increase in the number of slip-and-fall incidents reported to his ambulance service.

While a March snow storm may seem like an aberration to some, late snowfalls are actually fairly common in New England, according to the National Weather Service (NWS).

"It's not out of the question [for snow storms] to happen in April," said Chuck S. Maxwell, a meteorologist for NWS.

Maxwell said he remembers a storm in May that left a foot of snow on the ground during the 1970s.

Students unaccustomed to such large amounts of snow have mixed reactions to this record-breaking winter.

Jamil A. Ghani '99, who is from Miami, Fla., said he never saw snow until he came to Harvard but that he is enthused by the white, wet stuff.

"Oh yeah, I'm psyched," Ghani said. "I've been looking forward to this for a long time."

To other students, the news of the snowfall record indicates that the weather can only improve. As firstyear student Zachary W. Norris, from Oakland, Calif., put it, "I figure if this is a record, maybe my next three years here will be a little bit better."

But some juniors, who experienced record-breaking snowfall during their first-year, are not as optimistic as Norris is.

Hashem E. Montasser '97, who lives in Egypt, said he has seen more snow in his three years in Cambridge than he has seen at any other time during his life.

"I'm not happy about the snow myself," Montasser said. "I want the sun to come back again.

But some juniors, who experienced record-breaking snowfall during their first-year, are not as optimistic as Norris is.

Hashem E. Montasser '97, who lives in Egypt, said he has seen more snow in his three years in Cambridge than he has seen at any other time during his life.

"I'm not happy about the snow myself," Montasser said. "I want the sun to come back again.