Elon University will continue all normal campus operations on March 5 despite the possibility of severe weather conditions according to an email from Vice President of Student Life, Jon Dooley. 

Three weather alerts were issued for the Elon-Burlington area Wednesday morning. The U.S. National Weather Service issued a tornado watch at 7:45 a.m. which will be in effect until 1 p.m, a severe thunderstorm warning from 9:35 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. and a wind advisory from 4 a.m. to 7 p.m.



The tornado watch was issued for over 40 counties in the state including Alamance, Guilford and Wake. A tornado watch indicates that weather conditions are favorable for a possible tornado.

This is different from a tornado warning which means that a tornado has been spotted, or is strongly indicated on radar, and it’s important to find safe shelter immediately.

According to Dooley, 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.

Residence halls also have “immediate shelter” locations and other 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. 

For students who live off-campus, Elon encourages students to communicate with their roommates about the best place to take shelter in the event of an emergency, such as a basement or interior room without windows on the lowest floor. 

According to the U.S. NWS, the storms are expected to bring gusts as high as 37 mph with rainfall amounts between half and three quarters of an inch. 

Dooley said in his email that due to high winds, the Elon community should watch for down branches and trees across campus. 

Elon also recommends that students not enrolled in the E-Alert emergency notification system should add their current cell phone number in their OnTrack profile so they can receive alerts.

In the event of an emergency, Dooley advised students to contact Campus Safety and Police at 336-278-5555 and for immediate medical emergencies, dial 9-1-1.