On Friday February 8th the National Weather Service issued a severe winter weather watch for much of Minnesota.  They are calling for 6-10 inches of snow in the Twin Cities area, and even more in the northern part of the state.  The most snow called for is 18 inches in the city of Hibbing, Minn.  Minnesota has already received about 27 inches of snow this year according to Paul Douglas a local Meteorologist.

The prospect of a snow day is always brought up when we have weather like this forecasted.  Although many students hope for the snow day, it is always up to the bus companies to decide.  The bus company for the Orono School district (First Student) seems to be very good, seeing as Orono has very few snow days.  Many students have already begun making plans if there is a snow day called tomorrow.

Senior, Connor Sample said “I will go skiing, sledding, snowmobiling and pretty much anything that you can do when you have more snow than normal.  We don’t get very much opportunity to go play in the snow anymore.”  Many others also have tenative plans to do other outdoor activities.

Junior Bradford Morrison, who is a member of the Orono Alpine Ski Team, who qualified for state, said “I will get out and practice for state.  I really hope we get out because a full day of practice would be great for me and the team.”

As more and more snow falls, the anticipation grows, but only the bus company really knows.

**UPDATE**

Although the winter storm watch issued by the national weather service called for over a foot of snow to the Orono School District, the storm did not deliver.  As of 9 a.m. Feb. 11, the storm cycle has only dropped four inches of snow according to The National Weather Service.

To add to the confusion, last night, Sunday Feb. 10th, there was an accidental posting on the school website, announcing that school was closed for the day.  This ignited a social media firestorm for Orono Students, some even posting pictures of the announcement, showing people that the school was indeed closed. The school cleared up the matter by calling people with children at the school. Orono Schools also sent out an email to their mailing list, which also stated the school was on for the following day.

The post was made by an admin on the school website accidentally, which dispels the rumor that the site was hacked. The school prepares the postings so that they can be put up at a moments notice, and the wrong button was pressed, when going to save it, resulting in a false announcement.