After 715 days of a snowless city, Philadelphia found itself covered in a sheet of white, receiving over an inch of snow. Beginning Monday afternoon and heading into Tuesday, snow started accumulating at Penn, with the roofs of buildings, parked vehicles, and the College green.

In response to the snowfall, Penn announced a delayed opening on Tuesday, Jan. 16 at 10 a.m. This came two days before the first day of classes for the spring semester, with students just beginning to arrive on campus from winter break. The Daily Pennsylvanian staff arrived just prior to the snowfall — capturing it, in photos.

Icy conditions on the road provide an extra challenge for drivers in University City, as temperatures drop below freezing. Snow-covered cars and snow boots filled the city streets.

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A snowman propped up on Locust Walk, decorated with makeshift coffee cup lids and sticks. Salt rocks populated the common pathway that served as the epicenter of student life. 

As the snow was shoveled through Locust Walk on the morning of Jan. 16, remnants of ice began to form on the pathways. Black ice started to accumulate on the sides of Locust Walk, visible here around the Covenant sculpture.

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The Kelly Writers House looked especially different than usual, with the roof, branches of the surrounding trees, and signage covered in snow tops. The house was constructed in 1851 and was most recently renovated in 2019.

The Social Consciousness sculpture, located in front of Van Pelt-Dietrich Library, stands tall in the cold weather. Created by sculptor Jacob Epstein in 1954, the sculpture was previously located in the Philadelphia Museum of Art before moving to its current location in 2019.

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A dark, cloudy sky served as the backdrop for a snow-covered Huntsman Hall. Professor Michael Mann, the director of Penn Center for Science, Sustainability and the Media, had previously spoken to the DP that the 2023 winter season was one of the warmest winters in Philadelphia's history and the first snowless winter on record.

Icicle lights, which appear annually on Locust Walk, light up a winter wonderland, providing an atmosphere of serenity and tranquility. Meanwhile, strong Arctic cold fronts cover much of the North American continent, bringing cold weather to places as far south as Texas.

The iconic LOVE Statue, located on the corner of Locust Walk and 36th Street, was adorned with a blanket of snow. Over the past few days, students began returning to campus, towing their suitcases and bags across the icy campus.

Classes begin on Thursday, but it is expected that two to four additional inches of snow will fall throughout the weekend. As the East Coast continues to experience an unusual winter freeze, it’s hard to say when the next time Philadelphia will have snowfall. However, Penn students will get to experience a white winter as a picturesque start to the spring semester.