Centre County Schools Announce Delay, Closure for Wednesday as Extreme Cold Continues

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State College Area High School. Photo by Geoff Rushton | StateCollege.com

By

Geoff Rushton

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January 21, 2025 – 4:22 pm

At least two Centre County schools will once again alter their schedules on Wednesday as extreme cold temperatures persist into midweek.

State College Area School District will operate on a two-hour delay for a second consecutive day, according to message to families on Tuesday afternoon.

Philipsburg-Osceola School District will have a remote instruction day with virtual classes beginning at 10 a.m. for the second straight day on Wednesday, according to a message on the district’s website and Facebook page. P-O originally planned a two-hour delay for Tuesday, but “due to a loss of heat at Philipsburg Elementary School and several buses having mechanical issues related to the cold weather,” the district wrote.

Bald Eagle, Bellefonte and Penns Valley operated on regular schedules on Tuesday and have made no announcements of changes for Wednesday as of 4 p.m.

A cold weather advisory issued by the National Weather Service at State College has been in effect for Centre County since Monday evening and continues until noon on Wednesday.

Temperatures dropped to -2 during the early morning hours in the State College area with wind chills as low as -13, before reaching a daytime high actual temperature of 15 degrees.

The forecast for Wednesday is similar, according to AccuWeather, with a low of -3 expected around 7 a.m. before temperatures rise to a high of about 14 degrees in the late afternoon. AccuWeather’s forecasted RealFeel for early Wednesday morning is -6 degrees.

“Frostbite and hypothermia are possible if precautions are not taken,” according to the NWS advisory. “If you must go outside, dress in layers. Cover exposed skin to reduce your risk of frostbite or hypothermia.”

Though very cold temperatures will continue into Wednesday night with a low of 6 degrees, wind chills will lessen. Thursday’s anticipated high is 30 degrees, and highs will continue to range from the upper 20s to low 30s into next week, according to AccuWeather.