Campus Alert Archive
Tufts

Historic February 2026 Blizzard Forces Tufts Closed Three Days; Medford Receives 13 Inches, Brown Sets State Record

MAwinter stormadvisoryhigh confidence
Confirmed Threat

A historic Nor'easter struck the greater Boston area on the weekend of February 22-24, 2026, becoming one of the largest blizzards in Rhode Island history and prompting Tufts University to close all campuses starting at 8 p.m. on Sunday, February 22 through at least Tuesday, February 24. The Medford/Somerville campus received approximately 13 inches of snow. The closure extended to a second consecutive day as Greater Boston was paralyzed with up to two feet of snow.

Alerts
2
Response
—
Killed
0
Injured
0
Institution
Tufts University
Private R1 · MA
TuftsAlert
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 reconstruction376 chars
University (all campuses) closed as of 8 p.m. Sunday, February 22 and all day on Monday, February 23 due to the winter storm. Classes and other on-campus activities are canceled. Essential operations will continue as usual. Fresh at Carmichael and Dewick-MacPhie open 9 a.m.-8 p.m. All other dining locations closed. Monitor TuftsAlert and announcements.tufts.edu for updates.

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

Reconstructed, using the Tufts Announcements URL and Tufts Daily coverage as sources; the announcement was made on Sunday, February 22, 2026, closing campuses effective 8 p.m. that evening.
The closure initially covered through Monday, February 23, but was later extended through Tuesday, February 24, 2026, as the storm severity became clearer.
UPDATEEmail
Approximate reconstruction224 chars
University (all campuses) closed all day on Tuesday, February 24 due to the winter storm. Essential operations continue. Normal operations will resume Wednesday, February 25. Thank you for your patience and please stay safe.

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

Reconstructed; the Tufts Announcements system published a second announcement on Monday, February 23, extending the closure through Tuesday, February 24, 2026.
Tufts Daily reported this as the 'second closure in a month,' referencing the January 25-26 storm; the February blizzard was significantly more severe, with Greater Boston receiving upwards of two feet of snow.
Context

Background

A historic Nor'easter struck Greater Boston on the weekend of February 22-24, 2026, becoming one of the most significant winter storms in the region's recorded history. Tufts University announced the closure of all campuses -- Medford/Somerville, Boston, and Grafton -- starting at 8 p.m. Sunday, February 22. The National Weather Service recorded approximately 13 inches of snow at Medford and Somerville. The closure was extended through Tuesday, February 24, after the storm left Greater Boston paralyzed with up to two feet of snow. The Tufts Daily noted this was the second major closure in a month, with the January 25-26 storm having forced a similar two-day shutdown. Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, recorded 37.9 inches of snowfall during this storm, surpassing the Blizzard of 1978 to become the largest blizzard in Rhode Island history. Boston University, Harvard, Yale, and dozens of other New England institutions also closed during this storm. Normal operations at Tufts resumed Wednesday, February 25, 2026.
Outcome
Tufts closed all campuses from 8 p.m. Sunday, February 22 through Tuesday, February 24, 2026 -- a three-day closure. Classes and on-campus activities were canceled. Essential operations continued. The closure was the second major weather closure of the 2026 spring semester, following the January 25-26 storm.
Provenance

Sources

  1. Official
    University (all campuses) closed as of 8 p.m. Sunday, February 22 and all day on Monday, February 23 due to the winter storm - Tufts Announcements
    announcements.tufts.edu
  2. Official
    University (all campuses) closed all day on Tuesday, February 24 due to the winter storm - Tufts Announcements
    announcements.tufts.edu
  3. Student Paper
    UPDATE: University to close for second day in a row after historic blizzard - The Tufts Daily
    tuftsdaily.com
Tags
winter-stormblizzardhistoriccampus-closuremassachusettsmedfordnoreasteradvisoryboston-area
Added May 2026Updated May 2026Via ingestion