The campus will delay opening until 5:30 p.m. today, due to severe weather, University of Massachusetts officials announced this morning. For more details on the delay, visit http://www.umass.edu/closing/.

Students and faculty of the University are joining the rest of Western Massachusetts in preparing for the potentially hazardous winter weather conditions set to descend on the area’s residents over the next few days.

According to WWLP, a winter storm warning will remain into effect until 4 p.m. today, warning that all residents should expect travel delays and possible disruptions in communication until sunrise Wednesday morning, while winter storms are expected to continue throughout the weekend. 

Rain is predicted before 11 a.m. this morning, with snow falls between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m., followed then again by more rain after 1 p.m. According to WWLP, new snow accumulation is expected to be in between five to nine inches.

The areas of western Mass. which will be most significantly affected by the weather conditions, according to WWLP, include Eastern Franklin, Eastern Hampden, Eastern Hampshire, Northern Worcester, Southern Worcester, Western Franklin, Western Hampden and Western Hampshire.