With a history of reluctance of closing the school, NU surprised students this time. Northwestern administration announced Monday afternoon that the school will be closed from 8 p.m. Tuesday evening to Thursday at noon due to extreme weather forecasts. The last time when Northwestern was shut down due to extreme weather was at the start of winter quarter in 2014.

According to an email sent out by President Morton Schapiro, Northwestern will close its Evanston and Chicago campuses, including all classes and gatherings cancelled. Schapiro said that during campus closure, the school will continue to provide “essential services,” including policing, facility management and dining halls for students and faculty members.

In the email, Schapiro described the weather forecasts for the next few days as “downright scary." The National Weather Service issued the Wind Chill Warning in Northeastern Illinois on Monday afternoon with “wind chills 20 to 30 below on Tuesday and a 50 below zero expected for Tuesday night through Thursday morning.”

The dangerously cold weather could cause frostbite on exposed skin as little as 5 minutes, according to the National Weather Service.

Weinberg sophomore Zijing Tan said that it’s been extremely difficult to walk around in this extreme weather.

“With snow and wind like this, it is really hard to walk around the campus and get to classes,” Weinberg sophomore Zijing Tan said. “I have seen many people falling on ice and getting hurt, including myself.”

Besides students and faculty members, the Northwestern leadership said in the email that they were especially concerned about Northwestern staff, who have “the longest commute to campuses.”