Kansas Wesleyan prepares for it’s first major snowstorm.

With classes beginning for the spring semester, many returning students are getting readjusted to the harsh central Kansas weather that comes through this time of year. Mother Nature wasted no time as Salina was hit with its first major snowstorm of the year in just the second week of school.

A majority of Kansas Wesleyan students are usually from southern states like Oklahoma and Texas, so most of them are not as prepared for the frigid temperatures as they thought.

On Saturday, when the first snow hit, Salina only hit a high of 3 degrees for the day, which is a major adjustment to the sunny weather down south so many students are used to. Students made the most of the white weekend as many went sledding out at Indian Rock park, had snowball fights on campus, and even a friendly game of football between some teammates. 

By the time Monday rolled around, many students remained hopeful for a snow day, as it continued to fall​​ through Saturday and Sunday. Unfortunately, that wasn’t the case. You can read about what some KWU students thought about the abrupt cold and snow by clicking here. 

According to the City of Salina, plowing and salting of the streets was easy to come by due to the “fluffy nature of the snow.” This can vary based on the type of conditions that roll through town, so we were lucky this time around and there was no need for any class cancellations. However, all Salina public schools were canceled on Monday, the 26th, and Wednesday the 28th, due to the fact that both students and teachers have to commute to school. 

Photo by Aiden Abraham

Many sports teams suffered due to the freezing conditions

On the athletic side of things, many sports teams suffered due to the freezing conditions and made it to be a very frustrating week for in-season athletes. According to kwucoyotes.com, as of 3 pm last Thursday, seven different sporting events were cancelled or postponed due to the weather. This results from the road conditions being too dangerous for teams to travel, as well the conditions being far too cold for the outdoor teams like baseball. Preparation for a storm like this can be either routine or very challenging for schools and universities like Kansas Wesleyan. 

Photo by Aiden Abraham

According to the National Weather Service, preparing for severe weather for schools and universities is an intricate process that is unique to every institution. The first step would be to educate yourself on severe weather and how the warning process works. Many students and parents could be misinformed about what kind of conditions they are dealing with and could lead to possible endangerment. Next would be to develop an action plan that is implemented and shared among all faculty in the institution. This step is critical to a school’s safety beyond weather as all institutions are generally required to have an action plan for every possible situation. Moving into what happens during the storm would be to monitor the conditions as they occur. Things like major storms can alter in severity and some schools even have a designated storm spotter meant to monitor the conditions and radio in any major shifts. The next step would be to of course act and put your action plan into effect. Respecting all warnings are important and even though false alarms are possible, it’s well worth it to ensure safety to students and faculty.

Whether it is sheltering or stocking up on food, all action plans and recommendations should be taken seriously.

Finally, schools are typically prompted to make assessments of the damage after the storm hits. Typically after a snow storm, icy roads and streets are the biggest concern to safety. It is the schools job to monitor when and where the streets are being plowed and decide when it is safe to commute. They are also responsible for shovelling or salting the sidewalks on campus to avoid any injury walking to class. 

Photo by Aiden Abraham

Since Kansas Wesleyan has experienced many snow storms in its past, their action plan has proved to be very effective in notifying students and teachers of severe weather. The Friday before the storm, Kansas Wesleyan’s Joseph “J.D.” Koons sent out a widespread email to students and faculty with information on how to prepare for the storm. This included recommending to wear extra layers, avoid travelling, and even notified that plant operations will begin clearing space around the residence halls before moving to the rest of the campus.  They even provided necessary clothing to students who did not have any, stating, “If you do not have a coat, please come to the Student Development office (PH 125), and we will help you get one.” (Koons, 2026). They wrapped up the email by recommending shutting all windows to avoid pipe freezing and checking the email for any important updates. 

A week later, the weather finally seems to be picking up as we are looking at the high 40s for the week and sunny days to go along with it. Kansas Wesleyan has continued to do an incredible job of taking care of their students and faculty. Don’t get too comfortable now, as it’s only February, and there are many snowstorms yet to come, but I have no doubt KWU will be prepared for the next!