On Wednesday, March 9 at 9:35 p.m., Associate Vice Chancellor for Human Resources Sunil Khambaswadkar sent out a university-wide email, announcing that NYU Abu Dhabi will be closed on March 10 due to weather conditions in the UAE and that no classes will be held; strong thunderstorms are expected and might make the commute to Saadiyat Island difficult for faculty, students and administration who do not live on campus.

Facilities such as the Fitness Center and dining services will operate on the weekend schedule. Vice Provost for Academic Administration Charles Grim posted a follow-up announcement on the NYUAD Student Portal, mentioning the possibility of having classes on Saturday, March 12 instead; more information on this matter is expected from the university today, on March 10.

Many classes had midterms scheduled, and the announcement brought joy to the student body. Students took to social media to express their surprise and delight at the unexpected weather conditions. Freshman Raluca Georgia spoke about her postponed midterm.

“When I read the email, I wasn’t sure if that meant what I wanted it to mean. But then I saw the face of my roommate and thought: no midterm tomorrow,” said Georgia.

Some people, however, said that the excitement was short-lived.

“One minute I felt like I was back in high school … the next I realized that I have to study for the mids,” said freshman Mani Rehman.

On March 9, many on-campus extracurricular activities and athletic events, scheduled to be held in the evening, were also canceled. These included mandatory physical education classes and matches for men’s basketball division one and men’s football division two.