Feb 09, 2017 08:27 AM EST By Emily Marks, UniversityHerald Reporter

Colleges at the northeastern part of the nation have announced that they will be closed due to winter storm Niko. Boston, New York and other East Coast cities are expected to be hit with high levels of snow on Thursday.

USA Today College reported that Niko may be the biggest storm for the area this winter. Several universities and school systems in the northeastern part of the country have opted to cancel classes to prepare for the snow.

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio took to Twitter to announce that all NYC schools will be closed for Feb. 9. Connecticut Governor Dannell Malloy has also confirmed that the state's colleges will be closed on Thursday.

According to CNN, an estimated 1 million students attend New York's 1,800 public schools. It is expected that the storm will arrive by daybreak in New York and Philadelphia. The publication's meteorologist Dave Hennen said that it will bring with it 30-mph winds that will create whiteout conditions at times.

Several universities took to social media platform, Twitter, to announce that they will be closed because of Niko. Neumann University, Hudson County Community College, Drew University, Boston University, Suffolk University, Rider University, Berkeley College's campuses in New York and New Jersey, Essex County College, St. Joseph's College, Montclair State University, Delaware Valley University and Pace University.

Other schools such as Bridgewater State University, Cambridge College, Providence College, Emerson College, Endicott College, St. John's University, Harcum College, Amherst College, The City University of New York, Middlesex County College, Mercer County Community College, DuCret School of Art, Lehman College, Bentley University, Monmouth University, Boston University, La Salle University and the University of Victoria, among others, have announced that they are closed on Thursday as well. Classes are expected to resume by Friday, Feb. 10.

The Weather Channel named the winter storm Niko. It has also warned several areas that the storm will bring with it 6 to 12 inches of snow in the northeastern parts of the country.

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