Skip to main content

Officials Monitoring Forecast for Winter Storm

Several inches of snow, ice expected over the weekend

Alert

Update: Saturday, Dec. 8, 4:45 p.m.

(For future updates during this weather event, Duke community members are encouraged to stay informed by checking the DukeALERT website, as well as the Campus Service Updates web page for additional updates on parking lots, busing routes, dining facilities, and stores.)

Update: Saturday, Dec. 8: 2 p.m.

Forecasts for Durham on Sunday project  6 to 8 inches of snow with some sleet or freezing rain during the afternoon hours. Raleigh is expected to receive between 4 to 6 inches of snow with slightly higher amounts of sleet or freezing rain. 

Wind gusts combined with snow and ice accumulations will likely lead to downed trees and power outages in the region. Most power lines on Duke’s main campus are underground, so power supply should be fairly resilient.

Duke’s Facilities Management Department will coordinate with Duke Energy on any power outages any Duke-owned or leased buildings off campus. Outages can be reported to Facilities Management at 919-684-2122.

The Duke Women’s Basketball game scheduled for 2 p.m. Sunday has been postponed. Details about rescheduling will be communicated at a later date. 

In preparation for the storm, crews have pretreated all priority roads and sidewalks on campus, but individuals should use caution when traveling to and around campus. Facilities Management will also cordon off steps that should not be used due to ice and snow.

Update: Saturday, Dec. 8: 6:20 a.m.

The National Weather Services has issued a Winter Storm Warning from 1 a.m. Sunday to 7 p.m. Monday for the Triangle area, including Durham and Wake counties. A Winter Storm Warning means significant amounts of snow, sleet and ice will make travel very hazardous or impossible.

Crews will be pretreating roads and sidewalks on campus throughout the day. Duke community members should review the priority clearing map to determine the preferred paths of travel during severe weather, which may differ from their normal routines. Members of the Duke community should use extreme caution when traveling to and around campus in case there are icy spots. Facilities Management will cordon off steps that should not be used due to ice and snow.

Original Post: Friday, Dec. 7: 6 a.m.

Crews will be pretreating roads and sidewalks on campus throughout the day. Duke community members should review the priority clearing map to determine the preferred paths of travel during severe weather, which may differ from their normal routines. Members of the Duke community should use extreme caution when traveling to and around campus in case there are icy spots. Facilities Management will cordon off steps that should not be used due to ice and snow.

Duke officials are closely monitoring forecasts for a winter storm projected to impact the Triangle area over the weekend.

The National Weather Service has issued a winter storm watch for the western portions of the Triangle, including Durham and Orange counties. A developing winter storm is expected to spread precipitation across central North Carolina Saturday night through Monday with accumulating snow, sleet, and freezing rain. Potential shifts in the storm’s track will impact the type and amount of accumulation. Currently, forecasts project several inches of snow accumulations in the Triangle combined with some ice accumulations. Gusty winds of 25-30 mph with snow/ice accumulation could also result in downed trees and power outages in the surrounding area.

Crews will be pretreating roads, parking garage entrances/exits, and elevated surfaces as a precaution. Students, faculty, and staff should review the priority clearing map to determine the preferred paths of travel during severe weather, which may differ from their normal routines. Members of the Duke community should use extreme caution when traveling to and around campus in case there are icy spots.

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.

Given the possibility of severe weather, staff are encouraged to review Duke's Severe Weather and Emergency Conditions policy to understand 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.