Updated February 22, 2026, at 7:42 p.m.

Harvard College and several other Harvard schools will move Monday classes online following a statewide emergency declaration issued ahead of a major blizzard.

The decision was announced in a Sunday afternoon email sent to undergraduates, Graduate School of Arts and Sciences students, and other Faculty of Arts and Sciences affiliates. In separate emails and notices posted on school websites, the Harvard Kennedy School, Harvard Divinity School, Harvard Law School, Graduate School of Design, Harvard School of Public Health, and Harvard Extension School also confirmed they would hold classes online Monday.

The email to FAS affiliates instructed nonessential employees to remain home and work remotely, reinforcing a University-wide announcement issued earlier Sunday by Executive Vice President Meredith L. Weenick ’90.

Residential dining services for undergraduates are expected to operate as usual, according to the email, while GSAS students will have access to limited dining options through the student center.

The Harvard School of Dental Medicine and Harvard Graduate School of Education canceled all Monday in-person classes and events, according to announcements posted on the schools’ websites.

Harvard Business School will continue to hold in-person classes, but non-essential staff were instructed to work remotely as a result of the forecast.

Massachusetts Governor Maura T. Healey ’92 declared a statewide state of emergency amid blizzard warnings across Southern New England. Forecasters expect the storm to bring with winds of up to 75 miles per hour to Cambridge, along with 18 to 25 inches of snow.

Harvard’s decision mirrors those of nearby institutions, including the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Brown University. Harvard has closed campus only a handful of times in recent years, most notably during winter storms in 2013 and 2015.

Forecasts of a major snowstorm at the start of the semester did not prompt the FAS and College to close, however, drawing widespread complaints among the student body.

Harvard Undergraduate Association co-president Abdullah Shahid Sial ’27 cheered the College’s decision following a regular HUA meeting Sunday.

“Having lived in Pakistan my entire life, I’ve never seen snow until pretty much I came to Harvard,” he said. “Now, being in a position where all classes are canceled because of snow, I’m very excited.”

—Staff writers Alma T. Barak and Theresa F. Bartelme contributed reporting.

—Staff writer Sebastian B. Connolly can be reached at [email protected] or on Signal @sbc.23. Follow him on X @SebastianC4784.

—Staff writer Summer E. Rose can be reached at [email protected] or on Signal @ser.85. Follow her on X @summerellenrose.