Temperatures are on the rise again after the University of Maryland, College Park experienced a brief steam outage that temporarily left dozens of buildings without fully functioning heat and hot water Wednesday morning.
The loss was caused by a “significant steam outage,” according to a notice on the university’s website. A message to students shortly after 11:30 a.m. said steam had been restored.
“Full restoration to normal indoor temps and hot water may continue into early afternoon,” the email stated.
Classes were canceled Wednesday, but the outage affected a number of residence and dining halls. The outage was of particular concern as the area experiences a burst of extreme cold.
Dhruvak Mirani, University of Maryland’s student body president, said he was told by the Residence Hall Association that residents are used to fluctuating temperatures inside the dorms. What would’ve been an issue, he said, are the dining halls, where menus would have been limited because there was no hot water for food preparation. Students with dietary restrictions would have had particular difficulty.
He noted that classes have been canceled since Monday, delaying the start of the spring semester. He said he asked college President Darryll Pines that if classes are again delayed Thursday to also delay class on Friday. That would ease pressure on students who haven’t yet moved back onto campus and help commuter students.
The National Weather Service issued a third cold weather advisory for Wednesday evening, when wind chills will be as low as minus 8 degrees. Thursday and Friday will see highs in the 20s and lows of 8. Another storm could be on the way this weekend.
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