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Tornado Watch Issued for Durham County Until 8 p.m. Friday

Duke officials continue to monitor the forecast

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Update:

The tornado and severe thunderstorm warnings for Durham County are no longer in effect, however, Durham County remains under a tornado watch until 8 p.m. Friday.

Duke officials will continue to monitor the forecast.

A watch means conditions are favorable for the development of tornadoes in and close to the watch area.

Additional updates will be posted on this page, as needed, as well as on the Working@Duke Twitter feed.

Update: Tornado Warning Issued for Durham County Friday

The National Weather Service has issued a tornado warning in Durham County, but the warning area does not currently threaten Duke’s main campus. Officials are monitoring the storm closely and will send an update if conditions change.

Please visit the DukeALERT website for future updates.

Update: Tornado Watch Issued for Durham County Friday

The National Weather Service has issued a tornado watch for Durham County, including Duke's main campus, and other Triangle areas until 5 p.m. Friday.

A watch means conditions are favorable for the development of tornadoes in and close to the watch area.

In the event of a tornado warning, which indicates a tornado has been sighted or indicated on radar, Duke officials will send a text and email notification to students, faculty and staff.  If the warning area includes Duke's main campus, the sirens will also be activated along with text and email notifications to direct individuals to seek shelter immediately.

During a tornado watch, the weather service suggests that people should be on the lookout for threatening weather conditions and listen for later statements and possible warnings. For more information about Duke's emergency response plan for tornados, visit the DukeALERT website.

Original Post: Duke Monitoring Potential for Severe Thunderstorms and Tornadoes

Duke officials are closely monitoring weather forecasts for the Durham area and central NC that currently call for significant severe thunderstorms, including the potential for tornado activity through Friday evening.

The National Weather Service is calling for severe thunderstorms primarily between 12 p.m. and 10 p.m. with a heightened possibility for tornado activity in the Durham area around 6 p.m. Friday.

At this time, Duke is operating under regular conditions; there are no plans to activate the severe weather policy for Duke University and Duke University Health System.

The main severe weather hazards potential will be straight-line winds, large hail, torrential downpours and a few tornadoes.

As a reminder, a tornado watch means conditions are favorable for the development of tornadoes in and close to the watch area. In the event of a tornado warning, which indicates a tornado has been sighted or indicated on radar, Duke officials will send a text and email notification to students, faculty and staff. If the warning area includes Duke's main campus, the sirens will also be activated along with text and email notifications to direct individuals to seek shelter immediately.

Additional updates will be posted here, as needed as well as on the Working@Duke Twitter feed.