WSU Tri-Cities Inclement Weather Information

Our Facilities team works hard to ensure campus can remain open during winter weather. WSU Tri-Cities campus will be closed or operations delayed only when campus cannot be made safe for students and employees.

During periods of inclement weather, conditions impacting the WSU Tri-Cities campus are monitored continuously, and decisions regarding campus operations are made each morning and each afternoon.  Staff begin evaluating conditions each morning by 5:00 AM.

Our students, and the public in general, expect us to provide access to facilities and services in support of their education.  We make every effort to meet that expectation, but only if we determine that we can do it safely.  Student and employee safety is our first priority.

Below are the four primary factors in determining whether WSU Tri-Cities will open, delay, or close on a daily basis.  Condition of campus will always take priority over the other criteria – if we believe that campus operations can be safely maintained in predicted weather conditions, campus will open.

The fact that campus is open should not be perceived as a mandate than any student or employee must come to campus. 

Our evaluation of conditions centers on campus and conditions local to the Tri-Cities, specifically on the ability of campus to function.  It does not, and cannot, reflect conditions for each individual.  We understand that some students and employees come from distant locations like Moses Lake, Pendleton, and Yakima, but our decision must focus first on the campus conditions that we can control, and second on the local conditions impacting the majority of our population.

Students and employees must determine for themselves, based on their location and local conditions, whether they will come to campus on any given day.  Anyone who does not feel safe traveling is advised to stay home.

Other Questions related to Inclement Weather Closures & Delays