The warmer weather has melted the ice-covered ground, but the University of Mississippi campus is still recovering from the damage of Winter Storm Fern.
The campus shut down for more than two weeks as crews worked to restore power and remove fallen trees. On Feb. 8, the university welcomed back students.
University officials said that despite the two-week closure, the spring semester would continue mostly on schedule, and graduation ceremonies will still take place as scheduled in May.
Adjustments to the academic calendar have been made to accommodate the break, but most of the spring semester’s calendar, including spring break, was not affected.
The university still has a long road ahead in terms of recovery, and the campus still shows signs of winter storm damage.
Preliminary surveys of the campus showed approximately 100,000 cubic yards of debris, according to Provost Noel Wilkin. As of Feb. 9, more than 22,000 cubic yards had been removed.
Tree limbs and other debris have been moved into piles so the campus is still walkable. Some parking lots and pathways remain blocked off.
Several trees, including a few in the Grove, have been flagged for removal. According to the University of Mississippi Communications Director Jacob Batte, about 95% of the more than 14,000 trees on campus will survive.
That means around 700 trees will be removed. Batte said the decision came after evaluation from four certified arborists, two from the university and two consulting.
Utility lines block the intersection of Christman Drive and North Lamar Boulevard because of the weight of ice in Oxford, Miss., on Wednesday, Jan. 28, 2026. A winter storm rolled through Mississippi Saturday night and Sunday morning. Lafayette County, where Oxford resides, leads the state with the most total customers without power.
Member of the Oxford Fire Department respond to a small fire on the roof of Proud Larry’s after a downed utility line from ice rubbed against the building in Oxford, Miss., on Wednesday, Jan. 28, 2026. A winter storm rolled through Mississippi Saturday night and Sunday morning. Lafayette County, where Oxford resides, leads the state with the most total customers without power.
Brindin Chandler poses for a portrait with his home after it was split open and crushed after a tree fell through one side of it because of the weight of ice on Highway 334 in Oxford, Miss., on Thursday, Jan. 29, 2026. A winter storm rolled through Mississippi Saturday night and Sunday morning. Lafayette County, where Oxford resides, leads the state with the most total customers without power. The tree fell on Chandler’s house and he’s been cleaning it with help from some friends since.
See photos of Oxford, MS, days after winter storm left city in crisis
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Utility lines block the intersection of Christman Drive and North Lamar Boulevard because of the weight of ice in Oxford, Miss., on Wednesday, Jan. 28, 2026. A winter storm rolled through Mississippi Saturday night and Sunday morning. Lafayette County, where Oxford resides, leads the state with the most total customers without power.
Campus opens after extended closure
Oxford was hit hard by the storm starting on Jan. 23, and by the early morning hours of Jan. 25, the city was under a shelter-in-place order.
On the evening of Jan. 28, poweroutage.com showed approximately 108,000 Mississippians without electricity. Lafayette County, home to Oxford, made up 14,532 of those outages, the most out of any Mississippi county. Many Ole Miss students and employees remain without power, water, cellular or internet services.
Broken tree branches sit on the ground after being weighed down by ice in front of the Triplett Alumni Center on the Ole Miss campus in Oxford on Wednesday, Jan. 28, 2026.
Broken tree branches sit on the ground after being weighed down by ice in front of the Triplett Alumni Center on the Ole Miss campus in Oxford on Wednesday, Jan. 28, 2026.
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The majority of the Ole Miss campus lost power along with the rest of the city. Fallen trees and icy roads led the university to temporarily shut down the campus, except for the Student Union, which had power and served as a makeshift warming shelter.
The university announced several extensions to the temporary closure and finally welcomed back students on Feb. 8.
Lasting effects
Even though students are back in classrooms, dorms and dining halls, the University of Mississippi campus still shows evidence of the winter storm.
On Feb. 9, Provost Noel Wilkin told the Clarion Ledger that in the 30 years he’s lived in Oxford, he has never seen anything like the damage from Winter Storm Fern.