Campus Alert Archive
BU

Two Feet and a Statewide Driving Ban: BU Closes for Blizzard Nemo

MAwinter stormadvisorymedium confidence
Confirmed Threat

Winter Storm Nemo, the February 2013 nor'easter, buried Boston under roughly two feet of snow on February 8-9, 2013. Boston University closed the University and canceled classes, and Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick imposed the state's first statewide vehicle travel ban since the Blizzard of 1978, prohibiting non-emergency driving beginning at 4 p.m. Friday. BU's notifications directed students to stay indoors and off the roads.

Alerts
2
Response
—
Killed
0
Injured
0
Institution
Boston University
Private R1 · MA
~33,000 students
Confirmed Timeline

Alert Sequence

2 messages in sequence

Some alert texts below are approximate reconstructions from news coverage, not confirmed verbatim transcripts. Reconstructed texts are shown in italic with a dashed border. Verified verbatim texts have a solid border and are marked accordingly.

INITIAL ALERTEmail
Approximate reconstruction331 chars
Due to the approaching blizzard, Boston University will close and all classes are canceled. The Governor has issued a statewide ban on vehicle travel beginning at 4 p.m. today. Students are urged to stay indoors and off the roads. Essential personnel should follow their department's instructions. Updates will be posted to bu.edu.

This text has been reconstructed from news coverage and may not reflect the exact original wording.

Reconstructed advisory; BU Today confirmed 'the blizzard dumped two feet on the region and closed the University,' and the statewide travel ban began at 4 p.m. Friday, February 8, 2013.
Folding the governor's vehicle travel ban into the university message is the distinctive feature here: BU's closure rested on a state legal order, not just campus discretion.
UPDATEEmail
Approximate reconstruction288 chars
Boston University remains closed. The Charles River and Medical Campuses are closed and all activities are canceled through the weekend. Snow removal is underway. Please continue to avoid travel and stay clear of roadways so crews can work. Further updates will be provided before Monday.

This text has been reconstructed from news coverage and may not reflect the exact original wording.

Reconstructed update; BU's closure extended through the weekend per BU Today's contemporaneous coverage of the storm.
This message is an operational update rather than an all-clear: it keeps the campus closed and people off roadways so snow-removal crews can work.
Context

Background

Winter Storm Nemo struck New England on February 8-9, 2013, dropping roughly two feet of snow on Boston and producing hurricane-force wind gusts along the coast. Many New England colleges closed for the weekend, and Boston University closed and canceled classes. The closure was reinforced by Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick's statewide ban on vehicle travel — the first since the Blizzard of 1978 — which made non-emergency driving illegal beginning at 4 p.m. Friday. The episode illustrates how an urban campus's weather messaging can be tightly coupled to state emergency orders, with the university effectively relaying and enforcing a legal travel prohibition rather than issuing a discretionary closure alone.
Analysis

Key Findings

Boston University's closure was reinforced by Massachusetts's first statewide vehicle travel ban since 1978, making the advisory partly an enforcement of state law
Nemo dropped about two feet of snow on Boston over February 8-9, 2013, closing both BU's Charles River and Medical campuses through the weekend
The case shows how urban-campus weather messaging often relays and amplifies state and municipal emergency orders
Outcome
The University reopened after the weekend with no reported campus casualties. The storm dropped about two feet of snow on Boston and shut down regional transportation.
Provenance

Sources

  1. Official
    Classes Canceled, University Closed - BU Today
    bu.edu
  2. Source
    February 2013 North American blizzard - Wikipedia
    en.wikipedia.org
  3. News
    Images of New England colleges in wake of blizzard Nemo - Inside Higher Ed
    insidehighered.com
Tags
winter-stormblizzardmassachusettsnemotravel-banclosureadvisory
Added May 2026Updated May 2026Via ingestion