Updated as of 8:00 p.m. on March 16 to include recent E-Alert
According to an E-Alert sent out at 9:58 a.m. the National Weather Service has extended a tornado watch to include Alamance County and Elon University. The watch is expected to last until 2 p.m. Another E-Alert was sent out at 7:52 p.m. stating that the tornado watch was extended to 1:00 a.m.
A tornado watch indicates that weather conditions are favorable for a possible tornado, compared to a tornado warning which means that a tornado has been spotted or is strongly indicated on radar.
The recent tornado watch now includes 27 counties in North Carolina as of 7:39 p.m. according to the NWS. The counties under tornado watch include Alamance, Chatham and Durham counties.
According to an email from Vice President of Student Life, Jon Dooley sent on March 5, during a previous tornado watch, if a tornado warning is issued, an E-Alert emergency notification will be sent out and outdoor sirens on Elon’s main campus will be activated.
If the signals are sounded, people on campus are advised to go to one of the following locations:
- Basement or ground floor windowless interior room
- Basement or ground floor windowless closet or bathroom
- Basement or ground floor interior hallway with no windows or under a stairwell with no windows.
Immediate shelter locations can be found across campus on Elon’s Campus Evacuation Sites website. Students are strongly encouraged to make note of immediate shelter locations throughout the day and review the emergency posters located near stairwells and exits in every on-campus building.