It started slowly, and on Thursday there was speculation about whether predictions of a "snow-nado," "snowicane" or "snow-pocalypse" were perhaps overblown.

But then Friday morning came, and, well, if it wasn't a snow-palooza, it was close.

As day broke, Cornell woke up to 21 inches of new snow -- and no sign of clearing skies. Administrators responded by delaying the university's opening until 9:30 a.m., canceling all 8 a.m. and 9 a.m. classes.

The Northeast Regional Climate Center's Game Farm Road observation station recorded 3 inches of new snow Thursday and 18 inches of new snow Friday, for a storm total of 21 inches, said extension support specialist Jessica Rennells. Friday's 18 inches is the third-greatest single-day accumulation for Ithaca -- and the second-greatest in February -- since the station started recording in 1893.

"If we get just a little more snow today, which we are, we will be the snowiest February on record," Rennells said.

By midmorning, students were trudging to classes, hoods up, heads down. On Ho Plaza, engineering student Dave Padilla '13 stood at a lone, snow-covered table promoting an upcoming benefit concert for his fraternity. "It's cold," he said, and his hourlong shift at the table was more than enough.

Meanwhile, across campus and on Facebook, there was word of a planned snowball fight on the Arts Quad in the afternoon.

Samantha Lefland '12, a Long Island native who was considering checking out the snowball fight, said the storm was not much of a novelty for her.

But it was not so familiar to Nadira Purdayinta '12, a policy analysis and management major from Indonesia who stopped on Cascadilla bridge for a few gorge photos on her way in to campus.

"I've never seen so much snow in my life, ever," she said. On her schedule for later in the day: sledding for the first time.

University officials have closed campus four times for all or part of the day in recent years, in 1993, 1997, 1999 and on Valentine's Day 2007, when it snowed a total of 24 inches.

As of noon on Friday, the forecast called for 2 to 4 inches for the day; 1 to 2 inches Saturday, and a chance of snow continuing through Monday.