Despite overnight snowfall and other school closures in the Baton Rouge area, final exams still took place as scheduled Thursday. D’Ann Morris, interim director of the University’s Emergency Operations Center, told The Daily Reveille early Thursday that finals will take place as scheduled today.”School is definitely open. No closure as of yet,” D’Ann Morris, interim director of the University’s Emergency Operations Center, said at about 7 a.m. Thursday. “We know that some places in town have closed, but we’re anticipating sending out an e-mail asking faculty to be tolerant of the situation.”Morris said officials were aware some students may be late to tests, but because there were no major road closures, exams would go on as scheduled.
Students unable to reach a final exam because of weather-related issues should “immediately contact both their instructor and the dean’s office of the department through which their course is offered for further instruction,” according to the University’s Web site.”The safety of students, staff and faculty remains LSU’s top priority,” the Office of Public Affairs said in the statement. At 7:50 a.m., University officials used the emergency text-message system, as well at the University’s Web site, to alert students exams will continue as scheduled. In the message, officials warned students to use caution traveling to campus.Barry Keim, Louisiana state climatologist, said the snowfall in Baton Rouge is a “20 or 30 year event.””It’s obviously just the right atmospheric conditions that have all come together to produce snow, and it doesn’t happen often in this neck of the woods,” Keim said. “We have just the right set up with temperatures cold enough.”
Jay Grymes, University climatologist, said an upper-level storm system moved along Louisiana’s coast — from Lake Charles to New Orleans — rather than following the anticipated route from Lake Charles to Jackson, Miss. The unpredicted route left Baton Rouge on the north — or coldest — side of the system, which lead to snowfall rather than a mixture of sleet and snow.
“Usually when we get snow here, it’s inmeasurable snow in Janurary or Feburary,” Grymes said. “Here we are in mid-December, which makes it even more unusual.”
Grymes said Baton Rouge will endure freezing temperatures again tonight, but the snow and rain are coming to an end. Baton Rouge will be “back to 60 degrees and tropical Louisiana” by tomorrow, he said.
“The significant snow had come to an end by 9:00 or so,” Grymes said. “We may even get a peak of sunshine later today, but I wouldn’t count on it.”
Grymes said snowfall totals from around Baton Rouge today are between one and three inches, making it one of the biggest snow events in the past 50 or 60 years.
“This was a really, for Baton Rouge, a monster snow event,” Grymes said. “Typically when we have snow here, it turns to rain before it reaches the ground.”
Grymes said the snow is causing some problems with technology, including cell phones and satellites.
“The snow sticks to satellite dishes and blocks signals,” Grymes said. “In the North, they have heaters on equipement, but no one has that here.”
Though Grymes urged students to be cautious when driving, he said roadways in Baton Rouge are safe. Normal traffic and rising temperatures through the day make the roads safer.
“Most of the roads in metro Baton Rouge are fine,” Grymes said. “In terms of travel hazards around Baton Rouge, there are little if any.”Keim said the snow will turn to rain as temperatures rise, and he does not expect it to continue snowing throughout the day. However, any snow still on the ground by night will likely remain until morning as Keim said he expects a “modest freeze” tonight.”The last time we had snow of this magnitude was Feb. 5, 1988,” Keim said. “We had a little over three inches over Baton Rouge then. We’ve had some other lighter snow flurries since, but nothing this significant.”Prior to the 1988 snowfall, Keim said about three inches of snow fell in Baton Rouge on Jan. 23, 1940. Only a few snowfalls have occurred in the capital city since, which Keim described as “not significant” since less than a single inch of snow fell.The record snowfall in the Red Stick occurred in 1895 when 12 and 1/2 inches of snow blanketed the city, Keim said.According to  Baton Rouge Community College’s Web site, the school has closed for the day and will reschedule exams. A Southern University Police Department official said his University remains open today despite weather conditions.East Baton Rouge Parish schools are closed for the day, and both the New Mississippi River Bridge on I-10 and the Old Mississippi River Bridge on US 190 are closed.The National Weather Service has issued a “winter storm warning” until noon today. A total daytime snow and sleet accumulation of 2 to 4 inches is possible, and the low tonight is 31 degrees Fahrenheit.”A strong and cold upper level storm system combined with low pressure over the Florida panhandle will cause rain to mix with sleet and snow this morning across east central Louisiana,” according to the National Weather Service’s Web site. “Two to four inches of snow accumulation will be possible on grassy areas … and elevated road surfaces like bridges and overpasses.”Snow accumulation on highways and roadways could reach two inches, and “many accidents” were reported to State Police this morning in Baton Rouge, according to the National Weather Service.”To get this much snow is probably in the order of a 20 or 30 year event, so it’s pretty rare,” Keim said. “So if you haven’t gone outside to enjoy it, now is the time.”Tyler Batiste contributed to this article.