A major winter storm is expected to hit State College tomorrow afternoon, bringing up to a foot of snow, a University Weather Service manager said.

Alexander McGinnis, senior shift manager of the University Weather Service, said the storm is expected to bring heavy snowfall into the area between Tuesday afternoon and Wednesday morning.

"I'd say that we will probably get somewhere between six and 12 inches of snow with a possibility for more," McGinnis said.

Paul Ruskin, Office of Physical Plant (OPP) spokesman, said snow of this amount would likely trigger a midnight clear, with a possibility of other action as well. A midnight clear would require certain parking lots to be clear of all vehicles by midnight before the storm.

"The Penn State mode of snow removal is widely recognized as being among the best in the country," Ruskin said. "Our crews will work non-stop to get the campus clear and back to normal if and when the snow hits."

University Park classes have not been canceled since 2003, but if they were, the decision to cancel them would be made by the administration with input from University Police, among others.

"A conglomerate of people have input," University Police supervisor Jason Zajac said. "We're the only ones here all the time."

Ruskin said he is confident OPP will be able to handle the situation, whatever it may be.

"OPP has a snow plan that is double checked every year. We have extremely capable employees who are ready to go about removing the snow. When it hits, we'll be ready," Ruskin said.