Ohio University's Athens campus will be closed until 4 a.m. Friday.
Winter weather has caused Ohio University's Athens campus to close until 4 a.m. Friday and has left more than 4,000 AEP customers in Athens County without power.
The decision to close was made after the Athens County Sheriff's Office declared a Level 3 snow alert at 6:25 a.m. Thursday morning, according to a university alert.
As of about 3:45 p.m., Athens County was downgraded back to a Level 2 snow alert.
Snow accumulations are expected to total between five and 10 inches, according to the National Weather Service.
An 11:15 a.m. statement from AEP said that hazardous road conditions and flooding were "hampering crews' ability to access certain areas to assess damage."
About 4,100 customers were still without power as of 10:30 p.m. Thursday.
City of Athens administrative offices are also closed because of weather conditions.
The sheriff's office has agreed that OU employees who are caught traveling to work by a deputy may show their work ID, at which time the deputy will confirm with the Ohio University Police Department if the individual is an employee going to or coming from a shift.
Baker University Center is open to "individuals who may be experiencing a power outage and are in need of a warm space," according to the alert. Both Ping Center and Alden Library are closed.
This is the second time the Athens campus has closed due to winter weather in 2015.
@dinaivey
db794812@ohio.edu