The University of Iowa announced Friday that the first day of spring classes on Tuesday will be held on Zoom or canceled due to extreme winter weather.

UI instructors were directed via email on Friday to move their in-person classes on Tuesday to Zoom. If a virtual class isn’t possible, instructors were told to cancel their class but teach the lost material in a future class or through the UI’s course website, ICON. According to the announcement, classes on Wednesday will resume as normal. Classes are not in session on Monday because of Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

Johnson County is under weather watch, with a blizzard watch in effect from 5 p.m. Friday until Saturday morning.

Organizers of student-sponsored events have been encouraged to cancel events due to the weather, the UI said in the email.

“Students in courses with a clinical component or fieldwork will receive further information from the academic leaders in their programs about how these courses will be addressed,” the UI told students in the email.

Students, faculty, and staff were also encouraged to stay safe as the weather drops and snow falls. The announcement included a few tips such as dressing warm, limiting time spent outside, and avoiding unnecessary outdoor activity.