{
  "id": "2025-01-21-university-of-florida-winter-storm-enzo-closure",
  "slug": "university-of-florida-winter-storm-enzo-closure-2025-01-21",
  "institution": {
    "name": "University of Florida",
    "shortName": "UF",
    "state": "FL",
    "type": "public-r1",
    "alertSystemName": "UF Alert / Emergency Weather Updates",
    "enrollment": 55000
  },
  "incident": {
    "date": "2025-01-21",
    "endDate": "2025-01-22",
    "type": "winter-storm",
    "cleryCategory": "advisory",
    "resolution": "confirmed-threat",
    "headline": "Campus closed ahead of a rare hard freeze during Winter Storm Enzo",
    "headlinePublic": "Campus closed ahead of a rare hard freeze during Winter Storm Enzo",
    "summary": "Ahead of [Winter Storm Enzo's rare hard freeze and the threat of icy roads](https://www.tampabay.com/news/education/2025/01/21/uf-fsu-more-florida-colleges-cancel-classes-ahead-winter-storm/), the University of Florida [canceled classes, closed offices, and canceled activities](https://updates.emergency.ufl.edu/2025/01/21/important-information-regarding-campus-closure-class-cancellation/) on its main Gainesville campus and other Alachua County facilities from midnight on January 21 until 12:30 PM EST Wednesday, January 22, 2025.",
    "outcome": "UF's main campus and Alachua County facilities closed overnight into Wednesday; classes resumed at the start of the 12:50 PM EST period on Wednesday, January 22, 2025, with employees expected to report at 12:30 PM EST. The storm ultimately delivered little accumulation in Gainesville (the student newspaper called it 'a frosty flop'), but the preventive closure proceeded as announced.",
    "casualties": {
      "killed": 0,
      "injured": 0
    }
  },
  "alerts": [
    {
      "sequence": 1,
      "type": "initial",
      "timestampApprox": "Issued the evening of Tuesday, January 21, 2025 (EST)",
      "channel": "email",
      "verbatimText": "Out of an abundance of caution, as a result of wintery conditions and the possibility of icy roads, the University of Florida will cancel classes, close offices, and cancel activities on the main campus and other facilities in Alachua County from midnight tonight until 12:30 p.m. Wednesday afternoon, Jan. 22.\n\nP.K. Yonge Developmental Research School will close today, Tuesday, Jan. 21, at 6 p.m. and will remain closed all day Wednesday, and all P.K. Yonge campus and extracurricular activities are canceled.  The school will reopen on Thursday, Jan. 23.\n\nBaby Gator will be closed all day Wednesday, Jan. 22.\n\nUniversity of Florida classes will resume at the start of the 12:50 p.m. period on Wednesday, Jan. 22. Students who require additional considerations regarding coursework, exams, or assignments should contact their instructors directly. Florida Fresh Dining will serve the campus community during the storm. Specific dining information can be found on its website.\n\nEmployees are expected to report to work at 12:30 p.m. Wednesday afternoon. Employees who anticipate childcare issues should contact their supervisors regarding remote work or taking leave. Additionally, employees who live in areas north of Gainesville that may be affected more severely by the winter weather and those who require additional consideration should contact their supervisors regarding remote work or taking leave.\n\nUF Health clinical operations will continue on their normal schedule. More information will be shared with employees later today.\n\nEmployees who are considered essential or critical to campus operations should check with their supervisors regarding scheduling. UF/IFAS and other UF personnel outside of Alachua County should adhere to their county government closures and consult their supervisors. Other UF units throughout the state will have similar closings in keeping with their county government guidelines.",
      "isVerbatimConfirmed": true,
      "sourceUrl": "https://updates.emergency.ufl.edu/2025/01/21/important-information-regarding-campus-closure-class-cancellation/",
      "sourceDescription": "UF Emergency Weather Updates — campus closure notice",
      "annotations": [
        "Full official notice from updates.emergency.ufl.edu (Winter Storm Enzo).",
        "Preserved published spelling \"wintery\"."
      ],
      "characterCount": 1923
    }
  ],
  "context": "The [University of Florida](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/University_of_Florida) is the state's flagship public R1, enrolling roughly 55,000 students in Gainesville (Alachua County), where hard freezes are rare. In January 2025, [Winter Storm Enzo](https://www.alligator.org/article/2025/01/winter-storm-enzo) brought an unusual freeze and the threat of ice across the Gulf South. On January 21, 2025, UF [announced via its Emergency Weather Updates system](https://updates.emergency.ufl.edu/2025/01/21/important-information-regarding-campus-closure-class-cancellation/) that it would cancel classes, close offices, and cancel activities on the main campus and other Alachua County facilities from midnight until 12:30 PM EST Wednesday, January 22. [Alachua County public schools also closed](https://www.wuft.org/weather/2025-01-22/uf-classes-canceled-alachua-county-public-schools-to-close-in-preparation-for-winter-storm), and [several other Florida universities canceled classes](https://www.tampabay.com/news/education/2025/01/21/uf-fsu-more-florida-colleges-cancel-classes-ahead-winter-storm/) ahead of the same system. Accumulation in Gainesville was minimal (the [student paper called Enzo 'a frosty flop'](https://www.alligator.org/article/2025/01/winter-storm-enzo-uf-students)), but UF's preventive closure illustrates how southern campuses handle even modest winter-weather risk. UF resumed classes at the 12:50 PM EST period on Wednesday, January 22, 2025.",
  "keyFindings": [
    "UF closed its main Gainesville campus and Alachua County facilities from midnight January 21 to 12:30 PM EST January 22, 2025: a preventive 'abundance of caution' response to a rare hard freeze rather than to significant snow accumulation",
    "Winter Storm Enzo delivered little measurable snow or ice in Gainesville (the student newspaper called it 'a frosty flop'), underscoring that southern-campus winter closures are driven by road-ice risk more than by accumulation",
    "The closure was part of a regional wave: Alachua County public schools and several other Florida universities also canceled classes ahead of the same storm"
  ],
  "sources": [
    {
      "title": "Important information regarding campus closure, class cancellation (UF Emergency Weather Updates)",
      "url": "https://updates.emergency.ufl.edu/2025/01/21/important-information-regarding-campus-closure-class-cancellation/",
      "type": "official-archive"
    },
    {
      "title": "UF, FSU, more Florida colleges cancel classes ahead of winter storm (Tampa Bay Times)",
      "url": "https://www.tampabay.com/news/education/2025/01/21/uf-fsu-more-florida-colleges-cancel-classes-ahead-winter-storm/",
      "type": "local-media"
    },
    {
      "title": "UF classes canceled, Alachua County public schools to close in preparation for winter storm (WUFT)",
      "url": "https://www.wuft.org/weather/2025-01-22/uf-classes-canceled-alachua-county-public-schools-to-close-in-preparation-for-winter-storm",
      "type": "local-media"
    },
    {
      "title": "Winter Storm Enzo was a frosty flop for UF students (The Independent Florida Alligator)",
      "url": "https://www.alligator.org/article/2025/01/winter-storm-enzo-uf-students",
      "type": "student-newspaper"
    },
    {
      "title": "NCFL school districts, colleges reopen Thursday following winter storm (WCJB)",
      "url": "https://www.wcjb.com/2025/01/22/ncfl-school-districts-colleges-reopen-thursday-following-winter-storm/",
      "type": "local-media"
    }
  ],
  "confidence": "high",
  "tags": [
    "winter-storm",
    "weather-closure",
    "class-cancellation",
    "public-r1",
    "florida",
    "winter-storm-enzo",
    "ice",
    "preventive-closure",
    "uf-alert",
    "abundance-of-caution"
  ],
  "dateAdded": "2026-06-20",
  "lastUpdated": "2026-07-17",
  "addedBy": "ingestion"
}