Craig Jerpi woke up at 8 a.m. Wednesday to good news: the second day of classes were canceled.The frigid Texas weather shocked many students when they looked out their windows Wednesday morning to see a blanket of snow on the ground. Some went right back to sleep or out to play, but others headed off to class.

Jerpi, a freshman graphic design major, was one of many students outside taking pictures or playing in the snow. Jerpi and his friends said they did not expect the weather but were enjoying “frolicking in the snow.”

Bret Butler, a freshman interior design major, said he did not know classes were canceled until he was halfway to his Topics in Math class.

“I didn’t even know it was snowing until I got downstairs,” Butler said.

He said he had a feeling classes were canceled but decided to get up and go anyway. He said he was really excited classes were canceled and he could go back to sleep.

A few snow angels and snowmen also popped up around campus.

“After I’m done with Bartholomew Augustus the Snowman,” said Ricky Anderson II, a freshman radio-TV-film major, “I’m going to go inside and get some hot chocolate.”

Anderson said he had been outside playing for an hour, and that Wednesday was his first real snow day, since he comes from Houston.

In The Main, Carolyn Isbell, a freshman athletic training major, said, “I’m going to go make snow angels on the football field, again.”

She said she was very excited because, being from Arizona, she has never experienced snow.

While students were either sleeping or playing, Physical Plant employees were out making sure the TCU grounds were safe. All of the groundskeepers were required to come to work Wednesday.

Groundskeeper Thomas Seidl said he had been outside since 7 a.m. putting sand on steps and sidewalks to melt the ice. He said there was no known damage from the weather.

“We didn’t know we were going to get this much,” Seidl said. “It caught everyone by surprise.”

Seidl said he thinks the weather is going to get worse in the next few days because the snow will be melting yet temperatures will remain below freezing.

Snow accumulated to 1 to 2 inches Wednesday, and the sun won’t shine through the cloudy skies until Tuesday, according to the National Weather Service.

Temperatures will remain in the 30s until Sunday with chances of light freezing rain each morning and night and light rain each afternoon, according to the weather service.

Will Stallworth, associate vice chancellor for facilities, did not return multiple phone calls requesting information about the weather’s effect on the campus. Employees answering the phone at the physical plant said they were instructed to not answer questions for the Skiff.