The snow is here, and it’s blasting away at us. The Chicago Tribune is preparing for some kind of all-out war with the weather itself. It seems Snowmageddon / Snowpocalypse / #SNOMG may trump 2009’s multi-day subzero spree and fall quarter 2010’s Chiclone to become the next pretty awful storm we sensationally brand the “storm of the century.”
And already we’re feeling the effects. Northwestern canceled Tuesday evening classes. Perhaps more closings and inconveniences will follow. Stay with us for updates of all kinds.
And, of course, we’ll keep you updated on our beloved classmates’ responses to the storm.
Speaking of which — how are you spending your snow day? Post away in the commend field.
Thursday
12:34 a.m. — UChicago cancels classes Thursday, NU scoffs
First, it seemed that the University of Chicago would never cancel their prestigious classes. Then they wrote them off in a 2 a.m. announcement that the Maroon reports was the first in more than a decade. And now, the Place Where Fun Goes To Die is giving its students another snow day.
Will Northwestern stand for this? Is our school really less fun than Chicago’s famed killer of happiness? Are we willing to give up our attractiveness on America’s fun-loving Ivy League reject market? Evidently:
Oh, Northwestern, you’ve got it all wrong.
Wednesday
7:40 p.m. — Snowpocalypse dinner list, pt. 3
- Joy Yee’s: 521 Davis St.
7:00 p.m. — Snowpocalypse dinner list, pt. 2
A few more to add to the list. And if you know of other places open, leave them in the comment field.
- Giordanos: 500 Davis St.
- Gio: 1631 Chicago Ave.
6:15 p.m. — Snowpocalypse dinner list, pt. 1
For those of you on meal plans who don’t want to brave the dining halls — and for those of you stuck scrounging for food in Evanston — here’s the start a list of the eateries we know are open today:
- Five Guys: packed with students around lunchtime today | 816 Church St.
- Merle’s: offering each diner one half-off entree, provided they are a member of the “text club” —
plus, Wednesday is $5 all-you-can-eat buffet nightAll-you-can-eat night is now over | 1727 Benson Ave. - Dixie Kitchen: 825 Church St.
- Noodles & Company: 930 Church St.
Phoenix Inn: 608 Davis St.
- Taco Bell: sure, the meat is hardly meat — but is that really why you ate Taco Bell in the first place? | 1743 Sherman Ave.
- Peet’s: 1622 Chicago Ave.
- Kafein: 1621 Chicago Ave.
- CVS: worst case scenario, you buy lots of cereal and Ramen | 1711 Sherman Ave.
5:57 p.m. — Students brawling in the snow
More than a hundred students have, for the past hour, engaged in a fierce snowball battle in the field north of the Library. Snowball fight organizers were giving out free hot chocolate from Sodexo at the base of the hill just west of Norris.
5:13 p.m. — Dining halls are improvising
Students hitting up the dining halls for food today have reported the experience is a bit hectic, as halls run low on supplies and have to wing it. Plex’s menu has been changing throughout the day, and some halls have switched to paper plates. We have reports that Allison ran very low on food earlier in the day. Willard and Elder dining halls are closed today, but other dining halls will be open until 7 p.m.
2:25 p.m. — Fun’s over soon, guys
You all got the email and the text — do we even need to say it here? Northwestern announced that school will be open as usual tomorrow. Thursday midterms, most likely, will still destroy you.
1:51 p.m. — Sheridan Rd. still closed; city building us snow castle
The City of Evanston posted a snow update about an hour ago saying that it hoped to have Sheridan open in a few hours.
The update also says the city will be dumping snow on some Northwestern fields. If you’ve ever dreamed of building a colossal snow fort, now’s your chance.
11:32 a.m. — Student health, SOFO, CAPS and SPAC are closed
Dean of Students Burgwell Howard emailed the off-campus students’ listserv moments ago:
1. STUDENT HEALTH is closed. All medical emergencies should be routed through
NUPD. Call 911 for any situation that requires any immediate police, fire, or
medical response. University Police non-emergency:
Evanston: 847-491-3456
Chicago: 312-503-34562. SPAC is closed.
3. CAPS is closed today, but they are taking calls through the on call system
at 847.491.81004. SOFO and the Cashier’s office will be closed today.
Please view the Norris web site http://www.norris.northwestern.edu/ for more
information regarding the building and weather-related closures and cancellations.
11:21 a.m. — Students gearing up for all-campus snowball fight
More than 1,150 students said on Facebook that they would attend an all-campus snowball fight at 5 p.m. today north of the Library. Then again, just about as many said they would go to protest the “brothel law” at the Evanston City Council meeting. Now, we’re guessing that snowballs and snow days will draw more people than — I don’t know — making sure the city won’t evict hundreds of students on a whim. But if attendance at the two events does prove similar, it might just be Claire Lew and student reporters throwing snowballs at each other. Which isn’t all that different from most days.
It looks like some will use the fight to settle deep Northwestern feuds. One student proposed a North Campus vs. South Campus battle, while another suggested grad students and faculty vs. undergrads — sounds like our econ classes. But why stop at the usual rifts? Why not Living Wage Campaign vs. administration? Or Burgie Howard vs. whoever keeps leaking his emails to Gawker?
The snowball fight organizers are asking everyone to keep it safe, and it looks like the university might even be supportive. Around 11 p.m. last night, Northwestern tweeted:
The rules below:
Form teams, go solo, hide in a bunker – it’s all up to you. Please stay safe and don’t hurt anyone! Red snow will not be tolerated.
THE RULES OF SNOWBALL FIGHT CLUB
-Only throw a snowball at someone who is doing the same. Please don’t peg civilians.
-No ice balls. Make them fluffy.
-You are completely responsible for any damage you cause.
-Extra points for hitting Adam Yalowitz.
10:45 a.m. — Lake Shore Drive motorists rescued
The Chicago Tribune reports that the hundreds of people stranded in their cars on Lake Shore Drive have been rescued, after being stranded for “six hours or more.” Chicago officials said that nobody should have been driving on Lake Shore in the first place. But the stranded drivers made it onto Lake Shore before the city closed it at 8 p.m.
Oh, and for the record, the Trib’s teaser Web headline for this story is: “Bad LSD trip: Who’s to blame?”
12:42 a.m. — Reminder: no shuttles
Someone from University Services is a little slow on the uptake. An email sent out a little after midnight alerted students of the following:
“The National Weather Service is predicting blizzard conditions and temperatures in the single-digits, with a wind-chill factor below zero for Wednesday, February 2nd and Thursday, February 3rd. If Northwestern University remains open, the Frostbite Express and the Frostbite Sheridan shuttles will be in service from 7:30am through 6:00pm on Wednesday and Thursday. If the University closes, these shuttles will not be in service.”
While the timing is strange, that last line is the key — a quick call to the Shuttle Hotline confirms that there will be no shuttles, Frostbite or otherwise, running on Wednesday. Bundle up or keep warm inside.
Tuesday
10:40 p.m. — Police offering SnowRides
Not an actual program, but secondhand account claims police are stopping pedestrians and driving them home. Make sure it’s a real officer, guys. Ask for identification if something seems sketchy.
10:39 p.m. — Classes cancelled tomorrow
Emergency management sends out text and email announcing closure of Evanston and Chicago campuses tomorrow. Classes cancelled. All essential staff to report to work.
9:56 p.m. — Sheridan Road closing at 10 p.m.
The City of Evanston announced that Sheridan Road will close from its border with the City of Chicago to Chicago Ave. at 10 p.m due to poor visibility. No time has been set for the road to reopen.
9:15 p.m. — Schools call snow days
While Northwestern has yet to announce whether school will be cancelled, the following universities in Chicago and beyond have already announced snow days for Feb. 2.
- University of Illinois at Chicago
- DePaul University
- Loyola University Chicago
- Michigan State University
- University of Wisconsin-Madison
5:45 p.m. — Learn to read an electrical meter
In automated phone messages, utility ComEd told customers today that it would be unable to record their electricity usage. ComEd asked that customers take their own electrical usage readings and submit them on the company’s website. If you’re not sure how to do that, check out this video from the Kissimmee Utility Authority in Florida. (Guy sure looks warm, doesn’t he?)
5:34 p.m. — Whole Foods closing at 8 p.m.
If you were hoping to stock up on emergency provisions for what is undoubtedly the end of mankind, you’d better move fast. Whole Foods will be closing at 8 p.m. tonight instead of 10 p.m.
5:32 p.m. — Chipotle is closed
Give up all hope of warming your gut with a burrito-brick. Chipotle shut down at 2 p.m. today.
5:30 p.m. — National Weather Service warns of floods
The National Weather Service issued a flood warning between 6 p.m. Tuesday and 3 p.m. Wednesday. The warning says that Lakeshore Drive could see flooding, as waves on Lake Michigan could reach as high as 25 feet in some cases. Though much of the lake around here remains frozen, we wouldn’t recommend taking any trips to the Lakefill.
4:55 p.m. — New dining hall hours
FEBRUARY 1
Plaza Cafe & The Great Room closed at 5 p.m.
Willie’s Food Court, Willie’s Too & Starbucks closed at 7 p.m.
Lisa’s Cafe closed at 8 p.m.
Fran’s Cafe & Foster Walker late night are closed.FEBRUARY 2
Willard & Elder Dining Hall are closed.
Foster Walker late night is closed.
Allison Dining Hall is TBD.
Willie’s Too is closed.
Willie’s Food Court, Starbucks & Paws ‘n Go C-Store open 10 a.m. — 6 p.m.
4:50 p.m. — Burgie’s email
Dean of Students Burgwell Howard sent out an email about 15 minutes ago to all students on Northwestern’s off-campus listserv. He warns: If you’re parked on a street marked as a snow route, you can park for free in Sherman Plaza Garage at 821 Davis, 1800 Maple or 525 Church St.
And the part everyone is waiting for: the university will make a decision about canceling Wednesday’s classes on Wednesday morning, and will send out an email update. Keeping us on the edge of our seat, NU.
How is Snowmageddapocalypse ruining / saving your day? Post away in the comments.