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SU cancels in-person classes on Monday for sixth snow day in school history

SU cancels in-person classes on Monday

This weekend’s winter storm brought nearly a foot of snow to Syracuse — and it’s still falling.

Story by Lauren Holdmeyer / Photos by Jack Henry and Sadie Jones
Published: January 26, 2026
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Photo by Jack Henry
The Syracuse University logo is covered by snow on the Quad on Monday.

Syracuse University canceled all in-person classes on Monday and all non-essential employees were asked to stay home. Classes were still held virtually, at the discretion of individual professors and programs.

This comes after Syracuse was placed under a winter storm warning that began Sunday morning and continued throughout the day Monday.

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The entire state of New York was under a state of emergency this weekend as a harsh winter storm moved from Buffalo to Albany. State officials warned that plows would have difficulty keeping up with the storm and that travel would be hazardous.

University officials notified the campus community just after 8 p.m. Sunday that the school would be closed Monday. This marked only the sixth time in history that SU has canceled classes due to snow, with the last being in February 2020.

In addition to classes being held online, all non-essential campus buildings were closed today, including libraries. Anna Meehan, a senior at SU, said the last-minute notice created problems for preparing for Monday’s classes.

“Bird usually has all the extra resources I don’t have at home, so closing the whole library on short notice and with no clear way to notify [us] was a little inconvenient,” Meehan said. “I can get a lot of my texts online, but if I had to pick up a book today and couldn’t, that would be so annoying.”

Other students were using the virtual day to catch up on sleep and spend some extra time relaxing — indoors, away from the wind chills in the single digits, that is.

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Graphic by Alexandra Petro

Many students also took time to enjoy the snowy weather, with social media footage showing students skiing and sledding in various places around campus.

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Photo by Jack Henry
Syracuse University student, Alec, brushes off the snow after falling off his sled on Crouse Hill on Monday.
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Photo by Jack Henry
Syracuse University students walk past a snowman on the Syracuse quad on Monday.

All dining halls, the Schine Student Center and the Barnes Center remained open Monday. Campus transportation was running, but the university urged commuters to prepare for delays.

SUNY ESF and Le Moyne colleges are also closed for in-person classes Monday. The winter storm warning ends Monday at 7 p.m.

Alexandra Petro contributed to this report and graphics.