Strong winds sweep through MVNU
“Welcome to Ohio where the weather is made up and the seasons don’t matter.”
This sarcastic saying rang true as the unpredictable Ohio weather transitioned from freezing rain and wind storms on Tuesday to a peaceful morning with a high of 53 degrees Wednesday.
MVNU students left their apartments and dorms early this morning to see branches and shingles scattered across campus and trees destroyed by the strong winds overnight.
According to the National Weather Service, wind gusts reached 41 mph around 10 p.m. and 61 mph just 20 minutes later.
“I thought it sounded scary -- like a tornado,” said junior Tori Sintz. “But, it was also cool!”
Others were unfazed and slept through the whole thing.
“It didn’t affect me,” said freshman Lilly Buckley. “I slept through it.”
Many students were startled to hear trees fall and shingles ripped off their apartment roofs on the second day of classes.
“We were having a game night in my apartment and we all ran outside because a tree fell outside Maplewood,” said Sintz. She recalls the noise being extremely loud as the tree was close to the apartment area.
“I thought for sure it landed on my apartment,” said sophomore Andy Krolik. “I felt the ground shake and opened my door to check. Luckily the tree fell on the other side and didn’t land on anyone or anything.”
Though the weather caused aesthetic changes to MVNU, nothing was severely damaged.
“The Grounds Crew worked hard today to clear debris from drives and walks, then focused on large items that pose a safety threat,” said Assistant Director of Facilities Operations Russell Bray.
The next step is to focus on the smaller debris that is scattered across the grounds, said Bray. However, he recognizes that it may take time to restore the campus of MVNU, depending on the weather conditions.
Bray cautions students and encourages them to be “aware of the cleanup efforts as you walk and drive around campus… keep a respectful distance as [the Grounds Crew] is operating equipment."
If there are dangling branches, shingles on the ground or other signs of damage, Bray asks all students, faculty and staff to call extension 4430.
“Thank you for your patience as we continue to repair storm damage on campus,” said Bray.
The weather conditions also affected MVNU academics.
Monday night the student body received a warning from Academic Affairs to “expect inclement weather to move into the area overnight” and to plan accordingly the next day.
However, the following morning brought a second email cancelling all classes before 10:15 a.m. due to freezing rain and unsafe road conditions.
Knox County and the surrounding areas were under a Winter Weather Advisory until 11 a.m. Tuesday morning.
At 10 a.m, a wind advisory was issued to many central and northern Ohio counties warning residents of wind gusts reaching 40 to 50 mph.
By Wednesday morning these conditions had subsided and the temperatures rose to 53 degrees by 2:30 p.m.
The hazardous weather outlook continues as most of Ohio is expected to receive large amounts of rain in the coming days.