Yesterday's first snowstorm of the season was also the first ever for exchange student Piyamas Raorungrot of Thailand.

"For me, it's quite exciting," she said. "I had to go back to my apartment and take a picture."

Some weather forecasts originally predicted less than the two inches that fell yesterday.

"A collection of different forecasts [predicted] that there could be some snow initially, which would then change to rain and freezing rain," meteorology instructor Todd Miner said. "It snowed longer than anticipated because the air was colder than expected, allowing precipitation to stay frozen for a longer period of time."

Miner said the snowfall almost set a new weather record for the area.

"The first inch accumulation usually occurs the end of November. This is the second latest occurrence in history," Miner said. "The latest was the nineteenth of January in 2000."

The snow is not expected to continue this week and temperatures should rise in the next few days, followed again by more cold weather, Accuweather Meteorologist Henry Margusity said.

"The big news is the roller coaster ride we're gonna have," Margusity said, adding that temperatures could be as high as the 60s by Thursday, but back to the 20s and 30s over the weekend.

Those who watched the Weather Channel, like Nicole Horne (senior-rehabilitation services), were prepared for weather conditions to change.

"I heard there was gonna be a mix, but that's all I heard," Horne said. "Some kind of precipitation but not snow."

Vance McCullough, owner of Café 210 West, 210 W. College Ave., listened to Weather World on WPSX-TV and was ready to clear a path for customers and pedestrians, as well, along the sidewalk in front of his business.

"This type of stuff they don't teach up in Smeal about being an entrepreneur," he said.

Office of Physical Plant (OPP) spokesman Paul Ruskin said snow removal plans have been in place since mid-August.

"We double check the plan. We know whose going to do what, make sure our stock piles of anti-skid material are ready to go," he said.

OPP started clearing the snow from the roads at 9 a.m. yesterday, when the forecast changed.

"As soon as we realized we had a minor snow event, we began immediately putting down anti-skid material," Ruskin said.

Ruskin said that snow removal crews are not specially brought in, but are made up of full-time OPP employees who are diverted from their usual jobs.

Employees sometimes have to work 18- to 20-hour days to clear the campus.

"We'll work 'til we drop to get the campus cleared," he said.

The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) also prepares for the winter weather months in advance.

"Across nine county districts, there was no report of any long-term road closures," PennDOT spokeswoman Marla Fannin said. "It [was] business as usual."