Snowpocalypse Paralyzes Colleges

The snow drifts along the walls of the iconic National Cathedral in Northwest Washington climbed as high as the second level of windows at the century-old building. In another part of the snowy Northeast, stories out of Pittsburgh often included the words "covered" or "blanketed" to describe the scene. As one student put it, there's nowhere for the snow to go.

We're calling it the Snowpocalypse—or some variation of that (I've heard "Snowpocalypse Now: Redux"). In all, some 2 feet of snow landed across the mid-Atlantic region, and campuses all along the East Coast are paying the price for the epic buildup of snow.

The University of Maryland, the University of Pittsburgh, and other major schools canceled classes on Monday. The Diamondback reports that Maryland students enjoyed snowball fights, sledding, extra student access to their basketball team's drubbing of defending national champion North Carolina, and four days of a closed campus. Meanwhile, the Pitt News reports that classes at Pitt were canceled for the first time in three years after the school spent much of the weekend thinking sessions could still go on as planned.

"I think students are generally going to say that it's hard to mobilize around campus. Sidewalks are icy. I think this really was a safety issue," Pitt's Student Government Board President Charlie Shull tells the Pitt News.

Back in Maryland, no class meant a once-in-a-while experience for students.

"I attended the snowball fight as a spectator but tried to stay out of it," one student tells the Diamondback. "I still got hit, though .... The energy was really fun. I think it was the last big chance for all of us to have fun and act like kids because we probably won't see this kind of snowfall again for a while."

Weather.com has a nice breakdown of snowfall in key metropolitan areas in the mid-Atlantic region. And the Snowpocalypse isn't over yet. Some forecasts are projecting as much as 12 more inches of powdery precipitation in the Washington metro area on Tuesday and Wednesday.

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