All classes were canceled for Eastern students today because of inclement weather conditions.

The university is not closed, but classes are canceled. Dan Nadler, vice president for student affairs, said faculty members should use their discretion when deciding if they can make it to campus for work.

Nadler said it was the university’s decision to cancel class because of the ice present on sidewalks and streets, as well as the concern of branches breaking because of the weight of the ice.

Nadler said school officials felt it was in the everyone’s best interest for classes to be canceled.

Today’s snow day is the first snow day since February 2007. In 2007, classes were canceled for the first time in 25 years. Nadler said snow days are a rare occasion at Eastern.

Monday evening tree branches were falling down around campus because of the heavy weight of the ice.

Cameron Craig, a geographer and climatologist at Eastern, said the next two days will bring more ice and snow to Charleston.

Ice, freezing rain and occasional sleet will cover the area into the early evening today, accumulating up to a half to three quarters of an inch of ice.

“This could fluctuate depending on the freezing line that will move back and forth, north and south,” Craig said.

Today in the late hours, all precipitation will change to snow with an accumulation of 4 to 6 inches and it will continue to snow into Wednesday, Craig said.

Closer to the Champaign area, 6 to 10 inches of snow will accumulate; while to the northwest of Charleston towards Peoria and Springfield, 13 to 18 inches of snow could accumulate.

“The further south the less snow there will be,” Craig said. “But, for us, ice will be the major factor.”

Leah Shryock, a junior business management major, lives in McKinney Hall. She said she is prepared for the ice and snow to hit campus.

“I have food and blankets just in case the power goes out, along with my snow boots to get around,” Shryock said.

Classes beginning at 5 p.m. on Tuesday were canceled.

The Charleston community as a whole spent Monday preparing for the worst the winter mix can bring.

“People need to know to take it easy on the ice,” Craig said. “If you don’t need to travel, don’t get out.”

Rural King, 1475 18th St., had a surge of business on Monday.

Jason Schumacher, the assistant manager, said the winter weather helps out the sales one day but the next it could hurt it.

“We may have a lot of people buying generators and kerosene heaters, but the next day we could be completely dead,” Schumacher said. “Its as different as night and day.”

Surprisingly, shovels are not the number one product to come out of the store with winter weather coming. Salt, generators, and kerosene heaters are the more popular items on days before a snow or ice storm, Schumacher said.

“We will sell maybe one (generator) in three months, but the shelves are pretty much empty today,” Schumacher said. “People are more worried about the ice than moving the snow.”

Craig said the ice could cause a serious situation.

“Ice makes things a little more difficult,” Craig said.

However, ice may not be the only situation. With the snow on Wednesday, the area may see winds between 35-45 mph.

“This causes another situation with the blowing and drifting,” Craig said.

As of Monday the Forecast from the EIU WeatherCenter said the Charleston area should expect to see only minor drifting.

“But the areas with 12 to 15 inches of snow should expect major drifting,” Craig said. “We will not see a blizzard warning, but we are in a winter weather advisory, but its important to know things could change by Wednesday morning.”

Kayleigh Zyskowksi can be reached

at 581-2812 or [email protected]