’Snow Ordinary Storm

This week’s frigid one-two-three punch of snow, sleet and ice was cause for both celebration and concern on the University of Maryland campus.

More than 6 inches of snow fell on Sunday in College Park, according to the National Weather Service. That was followed by a heavy layer of sleet and temperatures plummeting into the single digits that turned the blanket of snow into sheets of ice, forcing the first two days of Spring 2026 classes to be canceled.

Students returning from winter break who’d brought scarves, snow pants and even snowboards, skis and sleds from home hit the “slopes” behind McKeldin Mall. Those who couldn’t pack toboggans improvised with flattened cardboard boxes and even inflatable pool floaties. They gathered by the hundreds on the mall for snowball fights. Terps made snowmen, snow angels and snow Testudos.

What started as powder, though, became a glazed, hard topping. And that has been anything but fun for Facilities Management crews tasked with clearing 87 miles of sidewalks and 20 miles of roads on campus, along with dozens of parking lots. Frigid temperatures slow their progress, and ice on top of snow makes clearing more like chipping away at an iceberg.

“With an event of this magnitude, the top priority is the safety of staff — both university employees and contractors — working in extremely cold conditions,” said Bob Pils, executive director of Building and Landscape Maintenance. “That includes ensuring they have adequate breaks to warm up."

Facilities Management is also monitoring the risk of refreezing on roadways and sidewalks as well as the potential for water line breaks and disruptions to electrical power due to prolonged cold temperatures, he said.

Dining Services, Resident Life, Residential Facilities and RecWell teams have also continued to provide services and support to students since the weekend. The university booked around 100 hotel rooms on Baltimore Avenue to house a skeleton crew of 200 Dining Services team members — down from the usual 1,000 — who worked 12- to 15-hour days to feed Terps on campus. 

Scroll down to see wintery scenes from campus.