By Mackenzie Prince

Sporadic snowstorms have shaken up the University of Maryland campus this winter, creating unpredictable weather patterns and disrupting the academic schedule. 

Since returning for the 2026 spring semester, the university has announced five closures and one delayed opening due to inclement weather. In late January, students struggled to walk around campus because of iced-over pathways. The snowstorm also caused issues in residence halls. 

“The extreme cold temperatures led to a steam outage, which caused intermittent disruptions to the campus’s heating and hot water systems,” wrote Jennifer King Rice, UMD’s senior vice president and provost, in a Jan. 29 statement to the university faculty and instructors. Students returned to classes the next Monday, Feb. 2. 

Students enjoyed typical spring weather in the days between snowstorms, experiencing temperatures in the 50s and 60s. With this unpredictable shift, experts such as Mitchell Pavao-Zuckerman, an associate professor in the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, are left wondering whether these may be effects of climate change.

“It [may be] surprising to see that cold weather when we think about what we expect with climate change [and] directional warming,” Pavao-Zuckerman said. “But, this really fits how we understand and predict what the more localized and seasonal impacts will be.” 

As the planet continues to warm up, so will the oceans that storms are travelling over, Pavao-Zuckerman said. Since warmer air can hold more water, it leads to intense rain and snowstorms. 

Pavao-Zuckerman explained that as the average weather phenomena get worse, “things that we consider to be extreme events will become more common.” 

Pavi Paila, a sophomore studying international business and operations management and business analytics, is an out-of-state student who described similar issues with inclement weather in her home state of Texas. 

“I’ve seen similar sporadic weather issues during a freeze. It was around the same time at the end of January/beginning of February,” Paila said. “Our infrastructure froze up to the point where we had school canceled for three days and some communities were suffering [from] power outages.” 

While Paila described the situation as “jarring,” she said the university has done an effective job at updating students and communicating any issues.   

In the Maryland region, Pavao-Zuckerman said residents may expect increased precipitation, both rain and snow. He said there may also be longer drought periods or heat waves between these larger storms. 

As of February 2026, the Trump administration proposed policies that limit the Environmental Protection Agency’s ability to regulate greenhouse gas emissions. While it has yet to be discussed, Pavao-Zuckerman said experts will monitor the impacts if passed. 

Nevertheless, Maryland state legislators continue to advocate for climate policy, such as the Climate Pollution Reduction Plan. This puts the state on pace to achieve net-zero emissions by 2045, according to the state government’s website. Pavao-Zuckerman described it as “very ambitious,” but a step in the right direction.  

“It’s less about shutting [out] global climate change, but really about how we mitigate the strength and severity of it,” Pavao-Zuckerman said. 

Featured Image: A photo of the UMD Memorial Chapel and surrounding areas blanketed in snow on Dec. 5, 2025. The University of Maryland saw aggressive snowstorms and sporadic spring-like days this winter season. Photo by Mackenzie Prince.