the threat of snow

One of my favorite perpetual headlines around these parts is "School activities canceled due to threat of snow." Today's variation:

The threat of a snowstorm in the South Sound prompted Saint Martin’s University officials to cancel evening classes at the private college’s Joint Base Lewis McChord campus. For more information about school closures in the region, go to schoolreport.org.

Which is to say, not only can snow incapacitate education, but it's also an effective deterrent.