Dear parents and families,
We want to share an important weather-related update that affects the first day of classes for your student on Tuesday, Jan. 16.
Johnson County is under multiple weather warnings and watches from the National Weather Service, including a Wind Chill Watch from Saturday evening through Tuesday morning, when we could see wind chills dropping below –35 degrees at various times. These wind chills can cause frostbite in less than 10 minutes.
Due to the forecast of extreme weather, the University of Iowa will not hold in-person classes on Tuesday, Jan. 16.
Instructors have been asked to teach their scheduled Tuesday classes via Zoom. In rare instances where this is not possible, instructors will cancel the class and ensure Tuesday’s material is covered in an upcoming class period or provided on the ICON course site.
Instructors will share their plans for Tuesday’s classes with students via ICON, so please help remind your student to monitor their ICON course sites for that information. Students in courses with a clinical component or fieldwork will receive further information from the academic leaders in their programs about how these courses will be addressed.
In-person classes will resume as scheduled on Wednesday, Jan. 17, unless otherwise announced.
Your student also received an email containing this information earlier today. Students who live in residence halls also have received an email with information specific to moving back into their rooms over the weekend.
The university has strongly encouraged the organizers of student-sponsored events scheduled for Tuesday, Jan. 16, to cancel given the extreme weather.
University offices remain open on Tuesday in accordance with the UI Policy Manual.
Winter Weather Safety
Please remind your student of these tips to stay safe in extreme winter weather:
- Limit your time outdoors and avoid unnecessary outdoor activities.
- Dress warmly by wearing layers and stay dry and out of the wind.
- Review additional winter weather safety tips.
You can review the university’s Extreme Weather Plan on the Campus Safety website.
Operational updates and additional information can be found at emergency.uiowa.edu.
