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West Virginia University again canceled classes Tuesday after 5 p.m. due to impending winter weather.
Between six and 10 inches of snow could hit the area within the next 24 hours, according to the National Weather Service.
If classes are canceled today, word will be out around 6 a.m., said Assistant Vice President for Communications Becky Lofstead. She added it would most likely be through the WVU alert system.
Night classes were canceled because the type of student attending night classes differs from those during the day, Lofstead said, and weather affects their transportation more.
"A lot of people commute this time of day for evening classes from various locations around the state and the region," she said. "More people are working and coming in. Those on campus that can walk or take the PRT to class are a little different."
The upcoming snowstorm will affect the area "badly, if it happens," said Michael Wolfe, deputy director of the Office of Emergency Management and MECCA 911.
The rain and snow mixed with sleet that came Tuesday will cause the roadways to freeze and become slick, he said. And the forecast for the area is between six and 10 inches into Wednesday night. It will be even colder Wednesday night, he said, with strong winds causing drifting and possibly trees weighted with snow to fall.
"Basically it’s kind of the same situation we dealt with over the weekend," he said.
Since the snow is coming overnight and temperatures will drop, black ice may form on roads that look perfectly fine, he said.
MECCA received assistance from the National Guard following the weekend snowstorm, in which as much as 20 inches of snow hit the area within 72 hours, according to the National Weather Service. The University canceled classes Friday after 1 p.m. and closed at 3 p.m. It was also closed Monday.
The two organizations are preparing the area for the storm and clearing snow that accumulated over the weekend.
The National Guard is working to clear roads, Wolfe said, and MECCA is providing essential items to those who can’t leave their homes, as well as keeping warming shelters open.
"We’re going to have to wait and see what the storm brings us to see what we need provide," he said.
The biggest warning Wolfe gave to residents without power is to not place items like grills and power generators in homes to heat them due to the spreading of carbon monoxide, an odorless, colorless and poisonous gas.
"You never want to place things like that inside your house or even inside of your garage or a carport or doors," he said. "Not even windows or vents that could lead into the house."
There are two suspected deaths from carbon monoxide in the area, he said, and six other phone calls about incidents involving it.
Common symptoms of CO poisoning include: headache, dizziness, weakness, nausea, vomiting, chest pain, altered mental status and loss of consciousness.
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