Jan. 25 Winter Weather Update

Published on January 25, 2026 at 6 p.m.  

Due to the possibility of hazardous driving conditions in Central Alabama on Monday morning, Samford University is moving to remote instruction and daytime operations for Monday, Jan. 26. The current plan is for non-academic Monday afternoon and evening functions on campus to proceed as planned. Administrators and campus safety officials will continue to monitor conditions throughout the day.

Forecasts for the Birmingham region call for potential icing on some roadways and overpasses, particularly to the north. Many K-12 school systems have announced closure as well, including Mountain Brook, Homewood, Vestavia Hills, Hoover, Jefferson County Schools and Birmingham City Schools.

Students: If you do not hear directly from your instructors, please direct instructional questions to your faculty member for each class.

Faculty and Most Staff: If you are uncertain as to your remote work status, please direct questions to your supervisor.Please note the university is not closing. Monday remains a full workday.

Samford’s Department of Public Safety will be on campus for all routine shifts. Operations, Food Service, Custodial, and other essential team members will be staffed as fully as possible.

For those who must come to campus or choose to do so for any reason, please exercise sound judgement and great caution, coordinate closely with your team or organizations, and use your best judgement as to travel.

Emergency Communication

The safety and well-being of our students is one of our highest priorities at Samford University. While we hope that our emergency plans will not have to be put into action, Samford has a comprehensive emergency plan in place to deal with any crisis that may occur on campus.

In the event of severe weather or other emergency situations on campus, Samford will communicate with students, faculty and staff via multiple methods, including:

  • RAVE Alerts, which can simultaneously deploy text messages, emails and phone calls to your cell phone, office phone and home phone
  • Emails sent campus-wide
  • The Samford University homepage
  • Digital signage across campus
  • Social media, including Facebook and Twitter

Get RAVE

Personal Preparedness

Develop a Personal Preparedness Plan

Develop a plan before you find yourself in an emergency. When you are in a classroom, auditorium, stadium or other campus facility for the first time, think about what you would do if there were a fire in the building. How would you escape? Do windows provide an exit? Where would you find an area that could provide protection in a tornado? Where would you go if you needed shelter from an armed intruder? Where is the nearest securable space? How would you secure the room you are in? Does it have a lock? What items in the room can provide concealment or cover? How will you notify the police? What will you tell them? Do you know the room number and name of the building you are in?

Create your own personal preparedness plan starting with the items below:

  • Have extra doses of medication in your office
  • Have a phone charger in your office
  • Have non-perishable food in your office
  • Have a change of clothes/shoes in your office
  • Have a helmet in your office
  • Have blankets, gloves, boots, flashlight, kitty litter, etc. in your car
  • Keep your gas tank full

Planning Scenarios

Government Resources

Employee Emergency Resources

Building Coordinator Resources

Crisis Planning Resources