Duke Officials Monitoring Winter Weather

Updated: Monday, Feb. 15, 2016: 5 p.m.

The Severe Weather and Emergency Conditions policy will end at 5 p.m. Monday, Feb. 15, and normal operations will resume.

Crews have been working to treat and clear icy patches throughout the day, and campus roads are reported to be in good shape. Still, community members are encouraged to use extreme caution while traveling to and around campus because icy patches remain, particularly on sidewalks.

Here are other updates at this time:

• Van Services will resume operations at 11:30 p.m. Monday with limited service through the morning. However, the LaSalle bus is out of service. The H6 bus is running on a limited service and not stopping at the Best Products parking area. For other Duke transit impacts, passengers should check continue to the TransLoc map for real-time status of bus locations.
• Trinity Cafe will be closed this evening and Penn Pavilion will close at 7 p.m. For other Duke Dining updates, please see here.

Community members can find the latest adjustments to campus dining, stores, parking and busing here.

Updated: Sunday, Feb. 14, 2016: 4:30 p.m.

The National Weather Service has issued a Winter Weather Advisory for Durham and surrounding areas from midnight until 1 p.m. Monday. Forecasts are calling for a wintry mix that will start as light snow before changing to sleet and freezing rain Monday morning. As temperatures rise, the precipitition is expected to change to rain Monday afternoon. Accumulations of up to two inches of snow are projected with a tenth of an inch of ice.

Crews have pretreated roads, parking lots, walkways and entrances on Duke's campus and will be reporting in early Monday morning to begin addressing potential problem areas. The rooftops on parking garages will be closed for safety.

Officials continue to monitor and assess forecasts and will make a decision later this evening about whether to activate the severe weather and emergency conditions policy on Monday. If the policy is activated, officials will send notification via the DukeALERT system, including text message, email, the DukeALERT website and the web alert bar. A message also will be recorded on the severe weather/emergency conditions telephone line at 684-INFO (4636). Faculty and staff who are not already registered should sign up for text message updates from the DukeALERT system.

Updated: Sunday, Feb. 14, 2016: 2 p.m.

The National Weather Service has issued a Winter Storm Watch for central North Carolina until 4 p.m. Monday, Feb. 15.

A wintry mix of precipitation is expected for Durham and the surrounding area starting Sunday night and lasting until Monday evening. Precipitation will start as light snow before changing to sleet and freezing rain Monday morning, and then ending as just rain Monday afternoon. Accumulations of up to two inches of snow are projected with a tenth of an inch of ice.

More information will be communicated later tonight as officials assess the potential impact for operations on Monday.  

Updated: Friday, Feb. 12, 2016: 6:45 a.m.

The latest from the National Weather Service indicates that light wintry precipitation is expected to develop later this morning and continue through mid afternoon. Travel issues will be limited to scattered slick spots on bridges and overpasses, mainly in the northern coastal plain. Slightly heavier snow amounts are expected closer to the coast.

Duke crews have pretreated roads and walkways on campus as a precaution.

Duke officials expect to operate on a normal schedule Friday and continue to monitor forecasts for winter weather on Monday. 

Original Post:

Duke officials are closely monitoring weather forecasts for Friday for the Triangle region that include scattered patches of light snow possibly mixed with sleet, as well as projections for a bitterly cold air mass to overspread Central North Carolina by Saturday.

The National Weather Service is expecting cold temperatures to remain in place through Sunday. For many places, temperatures will remain at or below freezing temperatures for 36 to 48 hours. Additionally, wind chills Saturday night and Sunday morning will range from around 5 to 10 degrees above zero.

Duke officials are also watching another storm system that is expected to move through the region Monday through Tuesday. That system could bring wintry weather, particularly across the northern and western Piedmont.

If Duke activates the Severe Weather and Emergency Conditions policy, officials will send notification via the DukeALERT system, including text message, email, the DukeALERT website and the web alert bar. A message also will be recorded on the severe weather/emergency conditions telephone line at 684-INFO (4636). Faculty and staff who are not already registered should sign up for text message updates from the DukeALERT system.

Staff should review Duke's severe weather and emergency conditions policy to ensure understanding of their role for what they should do if the policy is activated.

During times of severe weather, some staff positions require on-site presence to continue operations. All jobs should be assigned a service category by the manager to ensure continuous operations of patient care, student support and research functions. Managers should ensure staff members are aware of the service category for their position and how they will be notified if the severe weather policy is activated. The three categories are:

• Essential Service: during severe weather/emergency conditions, essential service staff report or remain at work. Transportation service and childcare services may be provided for those required to work during severe weather/emergency conditions. 
• Reserve Service: during severe weather/emergency conditions, reserve service staff are assigned a status at the time of severe weather/emergency condition.
• Delayed Service: during severe weather/emergency conditions, delayed service staff do not report to work or remain at work.

More information about the policy, including a map of priorities for clearing roads, lots and sidewalks, checklists and answers to frequently asked questions, is available at the DukeALERT emergency website. Additional updates will be posted as conditions warrant.