Icy conditions and freezing temperatures hit the Brazos Valley Tuesday, yet Texas A&M held classes despite a warning issued by the City of College Station that urged residents to avoid driving altogether if possible.
Sporadic rainfall and freezing conditions were expected to make area bridges and overpasses treacherous overnight, and city crews were dispatched to sand city bridges and intersections.
Classes could be canceled at A&M this week if University President Robert M. Gates declares weather conditions unsafe, said Lane Stephenson, the deputy director for University Relations.
University officials advised students to listen to the radio or watch television for announcements about classes for news Wednesday morning and the rest of the week.
“I (currently) know of nothing to prevent classes from meeting as scheduled,” Stephenson said.
Temperatures for the rest of this week are expected to remain near freezing with highs in the 30s and 40s, and scattered rainfall can be expected until this weekend, according to the National Weather Service.
Bryan-College Station experienced flood warnings with the freezing temperatures and freezing rain throughout the county Monday and Tuesday. The area received more than 5 inches of rainfall during the past week.
Travis Herzog, a junior meteorology major who writes a daily weather report for Lechner Hall, said temperatures did not climb above freezing Tuesday. He said the main weather concern was freezing rain, which can down power lines and ice up roads.
“There’s a continued chance of rain for Wednesday,” Herzog said, “and a chance of more cold weather and showers on Monday.”
Landscape Management sprinkled dry sand in high traffic areas on campus Tuesday so students, faculty, and staff would not slip on any ice that formed in puddles around campus.
A spokesman for the Texas Department of Transportation said students should be careful when traveling this week.
“All the roads around A&M are open, but the bridges and overpasses have been sanded,” he said. “Students should be careful and take a little extra time driving home.”
Texas State Highways 6, 21 and 47, as well as Farm-to-Market roads 60 and 1687 reported closures due to icy conditions late Tuesday night.
Highs for Tuesday were the lowest this year at 34 degrees since the Jan. 12 high of 39 degrees, Herzog said.
The University of Texas and Baylor University canceled classes Tuesday due to severe weather conditions, according to their Web sites.
According to The Associated Press, sleet fell in Austin late Monday and left 11,000 people without power because of wind and ice. The outages started at 5:30 p.m. and all service was restored by midnight Monday, said Ed Clark, the Austin Energy spokesman.
Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport had numerous cancelations, with American Airlines cancelling about half of their departures. More flight cancelations and delays were expected, said Ken Capps, the airport spokesman.