Harvard to Close Thursday Due to ‘Severe’ Storm

With seven to 14 inches of snow and wind gusts over 50 m.p.h. expected to descend on Boston, Harvard has closed its central administrative offices, the Faculty of Arts and Sciences, and University Health Services for the duration of the day Thursday.

The winter storm will hit in the middle of the College’s winter break, a time when no College classes meet and many undergraduates are off campus.

In an email to FAS affiliates, Dean for Administration and Finance Leslie Kirwan announced that all FAS class activities will be cancelled due to the "severe" storm, including those at the Extension School. She also announced that FAS library facilities will be closed.

Kirwan directed College students currently on campus to Pforzheimer dining hall for lunch and dinner, adding that Harvard shuttle buses will operate as normal “as long as the roads are passable and being plowed.”

Kirwan wrote that for “essential” employees, “every effort should be made to come to work” unless there is a “previously approved absence or illness.” She encouraged employees to contact their supervisors in case of usafe travel conditions.

Executive Vice President Katie N. Lapp wrote in an email to Harvard affiliates Wednesday that Health Services will be closed “for all services, including urgent care,” from 7:30 a.m. Thursday until 7:30 a.m. Friday. She wrote that HUHS will direct patients in need of care to Mt. Auburn Hospital or to emergency 911 services.

Lapp added, “As always, the safety of our students, faculty, staff, and other members of the Harvard community is paramount.”

Both Kirwan and Lapp wrote that updates will be communicated through the Harvard Emergency page and the FAS home page. Updates will also be available through MessageMe and at 617-496-NEWS.

Harvard has cancelled classes due to snow a total of five times since 1978. Last year, the University and Faculty of Arts and Sciences closed in the face of a "substantial" snow storm in March.