A large amount of snow is expected to make travel difficult in the State College area today, an AccuWeather meteorologist said.

"It won't be a situation [where] you have a lot of slush or ice, but the roads will be difficult to travel," AccuWeather meteorologist Ray Martin said. "Any slush will be caused by salt, but this should be a straight snowfall."

Temperatures will be in the high teens or low 20s today, Martin said, and the snowfall should end by morning rush hour.

The expected 6 inches of snow is not likely to affect university classes, Penn State spokeswoman Jill Shockey said.

An announcement was sent to faculty and staff yesterday afternoon that University Park campus is expected to remain open despite the snowfall because it is the last day of fall semester classes, she said.

"Every possible effort will be made to hold classes," Shockey stressed.

Office of Physical Plant (OPP) crews will be out from midnight until 7 a.m. working to clear campus, OPP spokesman Paul Ruskin said.

Three different crews of 139 total workers will labor throughout the night, pre-salting major intersections and hills, plowing parking lots and shoveling walkways between the buildings and residence halls, Ruskin said.

A midnight clear is in effect, Ruskin said, so plows can clear big lots of faculty and staff parking and ensure the lots are as accessible as possible. He said students should remove their cars from central campus if they are not being stored at the HUB-Robeson Center or long-term parking.

Priority areas will be cleared first -- health and safety areas such as Ritenour, dining hall loading docks and fire hydrants, Ruskin said.

"It's a lot more than just cleaning parking spaces," Ruskin said. "Penn State is recognized by other universities for its efficient system."

Students can find out if the weather has affected their class schedule, Shockey said, by checking the Web site www.wpsu.psu.edu or by listening to WPSU-FM.

She said any cancellation depends on the day, the time and the anticipation of major snowfall. She said there is no definite deadline for when the university will post closing or delay information, but it will be posted with the consideration that students, faculty and staff commute into the area.

The State College borough and Patton Township both declared a snow emergency yesterday afternoon.

Police said all vehicles must be removed from borough streets until the snowfall stops and the roads are cleared. Any individual without other alternatives can park until 8:30 a.m. in the Fraser or Pugh street parking garages.