Tornado watch issued today, April 14, for Wake Forest University area

Wake Forest University activated the Wake Alert system today, April 14, to inform students, faculty and staff of a tornado watch. Information was distributed in many ways to the campus community.

The National Weather Service has issued a tornado watch for Winston-Salem and other nearby areas today, April 14.  This includes Wake Forest University.

A tornado watch means tornadoes are possible in and near the watch area.

Students, faculty and staff are encouraged to stay informed on weather conditions throughout Sunday and into the evening.  Unstable weather is forecast for the Winston-Salem area.  Storms are possible today, including in the afternoon and evening.  Some storms could be severe, according to weather forecasts.

Information about today’s weather, including current forecasts, is widely available on local TV stations, such as WXII, WGHP, WFMY and Spectrum’s News 14.  Information is also easily accessed from other news organizations, such as The Weather Channel.

At Wake Forest, detailed weather information is always available thanks to WeatherSTEM stations on top of the Miller Center and the scoreboard at BB&T Field.

The WeatherSTEM stations use a combination of weather instruments and sensors to take environmental measurements and offer frequently updated details on temperature, humidity, the heat index, barometric pressure and more.  Forecasts for several days ahead is available, too. Each station includes a sky camera, with one directed toward Kentner Stadium, Reynolds Gym, Farrell Hall and Wait Chapel, while the other camera is directed across BB&T Field.

The stations also offer information through Facebook and Twitter accounts, which are updated through automation.  On Facebook, the accounts are identified as Wake Forest Weatherstem and Wake Forest Football Weatherstem.  On Twitter, the stations can be followed @WakeForestWxSTEM and @WFUFootballWx.

WeatherSTEM also offers apps for ios and Android.

In the event of a weather emergency, Wake Forest would use the Wake Alert emergency notification system to communicate with students, faculty and staff.  Additional information is available here.