Monitoring severe weather – March 2, 2023

LEXINGTON, Ky. (March 2, 2023) — Executive Vice President for Finance and Administration Eric N. Monday sent the following message to the University of Kentucky community Thursday night.

Campus Community,

We are monitoring potential severe weather predicted for the Lexington area over the next 24 hours. A flood watch remains in effect this evening through tomorrow and the National Weather Service has issued a high wind warning for Fayette and surrounding counties for Friday.

Forecasts call for a strong storm system with damaging winds and heavy rainfall. There are currently no tornado watches or warnings but isolated tornadoes are possible.

As our goal is to always keep campus fully operational to sustain our critical missions of education, research, service and patient care, UK classes and work schedules are rarely altered by the impacts of severe weather. However, there are rare occasions when we must alter our normal schedule or close campus (excluding UK HealthCare) to ensure the safety of our community. Find more information on our severe weather procedures here.

If there is a change in the university’s status, in terms of delay or closure, the university will send a UK Alert. Any additional updates – including major changes regarding facilities, operations and our weather efforts – will also be shared via email, UK’s social media accounts and at uky.edu/alerts.

Yesterday, we participated in Kentucky Emergency Management's 2023 Statewide Tornado Safety Drill to be prepared for these scenarios. UK Police encouraged community members to conduct the drill, update UK Alert settings in myUK and review emergency action plans posted throughout campus buildings.

As President Capilouto reminded the campus in January, ensuring the health, safety and well-being of our community requires all of us to follow these procedures and protocols and take responsible steps and precautions when alerts are issued.

The information below details the standard protocols we follow during a severe storm or tornado warning. Please review these directions:

• Protect yourself from lightning and flying debris – seek shelter immediately.
• Stop what you’re doing and move to an interior room or hallway on the building’s lowest level. 
• Avoid outside doors and windows. 
• Find recommended shelter locations marked on the emergency floor plans posted throughout campus buildings.

You can find additional emergency response guidance from UK Police’s Crisis Management and Preparedness Division at www.uky.edu/cmp and additional details on our severe weather procedures at www.uky.edu/severe-weather-procedures.

As a reminder, UK Alert, the university’s emergency notification system, is activated in times of university closings, delays and early dismissals due to weather, tornado warnings and other major emergencies on campus that require immediate action. We encourage all students, faculty and staff to review and update your UK Alert account. Log in to myUK and click the UK Alert tab to access your account.

We will keep you informed of any updates. Thank you for all you do to ensure your safety and that of everyone in our community.
 
Eric N. Monday
Executive Vice President for Finance and Administration