Leslie Hitchcock, News Editor

Over Tuesday and Wednesday, approximately 21 inches of snow descended upon Boone, bringing Appalachian State University life to a standstill.

As a result of the snowfall, Watagua County was declared in a state of emergency by  Governor Jim Hunt.

A county-wide curfew until 8 a.m. Thursday morning was enforced, not allowing anyone on the roads except emergency vehicles and rescue workers.

“The National Weather Service blew the forecast,” said Associate Professor of Geography and Planning Dr. Pete Soule.

The original forecast called for approximately three to four inches of a rain and snow mixture, changing to rain Tuesday afternoon, Soule said.

Instead of drenching ASU with rain, the storm system tracked further east and Boone remained in a colder section of air inducing the unexpected snowfall, said Soule.

“Temperatures were well below freezing Monday night, but the skies were clear, so the storm was not anticipated,” Soule said.

As a result of the snowfall, the university cancelled classes for Wednesday.

According to the ASU Adverse Weather Policy, the decision to cancel classes is made by the Chancellor in collaboration with the Vice Chancellor staff.

The decision was made at 5 a.m. on Wednesday morning, said ASU News Bureau Director Jane Nicholson.

“The University Police had been in contact with the administration about the safety of the university,” said Nicholson.

“The main concern for the cancellation was campus safety,” she said.

Appalachian did not close because the University Police, health services and food services were still operating, said Nicholson.

Classes were not cancelled on Thursday because the administration did not recognize the same safety risks that were apparent on Wednesday, Nicholson said.

Cascades in the Plemmons Student Union and the Welborn Hall cafeteria were the only eating establishments open on-campus Wednesday to serve students, said Food Services Director Ron Dubberly.

Welborn Cafeteria served approximately 2,530 students and Cascades served approximately 1,468 students, Dubberly said.

“Food Services was only 60 percent staffed and was feeding the same amount of people,” said Dubberly.

Health Services cancelled scheduled appointments to remain available for emergencies and walk-ins, said Director of Student Health Services Dr. William Derrick.

“Most of the students that came in had the flu, but there were some minor injuries because of the ice and snow,” said Derrick.

According to adjunct instructor in the Department of Geography and Planning Baker Perry students can check the weather conditions on the Appalachian homepage.

The homepage includes a 24 hour climatological summary, the current weather conditions in Boone as of 8 a.m., the official National Weather Channel forecast and the extended forecast for the Northern Mountains of NC, said Perry.

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