Students hoping for class cancellations this winter shouldn’t go into hibernation yet.

Harry Hillaker, state climatologist for the Iowa Department of Agriculture, said to expect an even tamer winter this year than last year.

“This winter will be a bit milder, but not one for the record books,” he said.

Warmer temperatures are almost a sure thing, Hillaker said. As a result of the El Ni¤o effect, the ocean is warmer and the jet stream is stronger and in a different position.

These conditions are all indicative of a mild winter.

There has been a warming trend during the last 10 to 12 years, Hillaker said.

According to Hillaker, last year’s snowfall in Ames was 42.8 inches. This was about 10 inches more than what is typical, he said.

“Snowfall is a much harder thing to predict than temperatures,” Hillaker said. “It would be really unlikely to see as much snow as we had last winter.”

Even if the weather does take a sudden turn for the worse, cancellation of classes would be very unlikely. Warren Madden, vice president for business and finance, is one of the people who helps decide if classes are canceled. Madden has administrative responsibility for facilities management at Iowa State and receives reports from the Department of Public Safety and CyRide. If the weather is questionable, students should refer to the university Web site for information about class cancellation, he said.

“We assume that, by and large, college students are adults and are capable of making personal decisions about safety during inclement weather,” Madden said.

The last cancellation of classes at Iowa State was in 2001 and was only for late afternoon and evening classes, Madden said.

Even if students must continue to go to class in the cold weather, they won’t have to walk through the snow to get there.

Bob Bourne, director of transportation for CyRide, said students can rely on CyRide as long as school is in session and conditions are deemed safe. When the weather gets violent, CyRide routes are a priority for snow plows, and a CyRide supervisor drives around to assess the situation, he said.

“The general rule is that if it’s not safe enough for a car, it’s not safe enough for CyRide to run,” Bourne said.