Michigan Campus Student Snow

A University of Michigan student-athlete walks through campus on a snowy December 17.

(Brianne Bowen | The Ann Arbor News)

The University of Michigan is doing something it hasn't done in a long, long time: canceling classes due to inclement weather.

Temperatures in Ann Arbor on Tuesday are expected to plummet to minus 10 degrees, approaching the area's record low for Jan. 28: minus 11 degrees, set in 1925. With severe wind chills, temperatures will feel as low as minus 30 degrees.

In an effort to keep students out of the cold, the school is canceling classes, however the campus will remain open and staff are expected to go to work if possible.

"The University of Michigan has decided to cancel classes for Tuesday because of extreme wind chill temperatures." U-M spokesman Rick Fitzgerald said in an email sent Monday evening.

The cancellation includes classroom and laboratory instruction.

Campus buildings will remain open, and dining halls, libraries and most other campus facilities and services will continue operations.

U-M buses and shuttles will operate as scheduled, although delays are possible.

The U-M Health System will remain open.

"Campus operations will continue. However, while staff should plan to report as usual, we ask that supervisors be flexible and make reasonable accommodations for these extreme circumstances," U-M administrators said in an email to faculty and staff Monday evening. "Travel may be hazardous, especially on foot or by bus, and we ask that all of our colleagues remain sensitive to safety concerns."

The email continued: "Staff who are unable or choose not to travel to campus on Tuesday should contact their supervisors to use vacation time or unpaid time off."

The decision marks the first time U-M has canceled classes since 2001, when classes were canceled in the aftermath of the Sept. 11 attacks.

U-M has not closed its campus due to severe weather was during a snowstorm 36 years ago in January 1978.

The decision comes in light of faculty and staff frustration that the Ann Arbor campus remained open in early January despite receiving 10 inches of snow and minus 15 degree temperatures that felt like minus 45 degrees due to severe wind chills.

"The university should only close in extreme circumstances," U-M Provost Martha Pollack said earlier this month. "One hopes that it is very rare. It's a big deal to close. It really is like closing a city. A small city."

U-M is convening a committee to review closing guidelines.

Eastern Michigan University, Washtenaw Community College and most Ann Arbor-area schools also closed because of the cold.

Kellie Woodhouse covers higher education for the Ann Arbor News. Reach her at kelliewoodhouse@mlive.com or 734-623-4602 and follow her on twitter.