State College Area Schools to Be Closed on Thursday

By

Geoff Rushton

–

January 30, 2019 – 12:35 pm

Community & Entertainment, Local News, State College, StateCollege.com

State College Area School District remained open on Wednesday, but will be closed on Thursday because of extreme cold expected throughout the day.

District schools will dismiss at regular times on Wednesday, however, all after-school activities, including late bus runs, are canceled, according to the SCASD website. CEEL will operate as normal on Wednesday.

On Thursday, all activities, including CEEL, will be canceled.

‘Weather decisions are difficult to make, and the safety of our students is always paramount,’ a message on the district website said. ‘In the case of extreme cold, we generally call for consideration of a delayed start or cancellation if the actual temperature dips below minus 5 degrees or wind chill below minus 20 degrees, according to the National Weather Service… Under those conditions, students could suffer from frostbite on exposed skin in about 30 minutes. Additionally, diesel buses begin to have difficulty operating in such temperatures.’

Bald Eagle Area, Bellefonte Area, Philipsburg-Osceola and Saint Joseph’s Catholic Academy were closed on Wednesday and P-O had already announced it would be closed on Thursday.

Along with State College, Penns Valley Area remained open on Wednesday.

The National Weather Service has issued a wind chill advisory for most of Centre County until noon on Thursday with dangerous wind chills of -15 to -20 expected. The Philipsburg area is under a wind chill warning until 9 a.m. on Friday, with wind chills as low as -30.

AccuWeather is forecasting a RealFeel of -5 degrees during the day on Wednesday and a brutal -32 RealFeel on Wednesday night into Thursday morning. Actual temperatures overnight Wednesday could hit the record low of -9. The cold will remain through the day on Thursday, but with winds diminishing, RealFeel is forecast from -6 to -3.

Being outside during those extreme wind chills can cause frostbite in as little as 15 to 30 minutes. Anyone who does go outside should limit their time, cover exposed skin, dress in layers and wear a hat and gloves.

Wind gusts on Wednesday, especially during snow squalls, could exceed 40 miles per hour.

The Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture urged livestock and pet owners to keep animals protected from exposure. Additionally, under Pennsylvania law, dogs cannot be kept tethered outside for more than 30 minutes when the temperature is below 32 degrees.