A severe winter storm is forecast for the Houston area next week, with freezing temperatures for a prolonged period bringing the potential for snow, sleet, and freezing rain. The National Weather Service expects temperatures to drop below freezing Sunday night and Monday morning, making travel extremely hazardous.

For this reason, on Monday the university will conduct all of its scheduled classes remotely. No instruction will be conducted in classrooms.

In addition, only essential personnel should report to the campus on Monday. If you have any doubts, please check with your supervisor to determine if you need to come to campus during this weather emergency.

Rice’s Crisis Management Team will closely monitor the situation over the weekend and will issue an update tomorrow (Saturday, Feb. 13). Decisions on campus operations for the rest of the week will be made and announced later.