Campus flood warning in effect
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
The National Weather Service has issued a flood warning advisory for Hampshire county and for Northampton and Amherst specifically.
Here's the actual advisory pulled from the National Weather Service Web site:
"AT 1103 AM EST RADAR INDICATED WIDESPREAD MODERATE TO HEAVY RAINCROSSING OVER THE CONNECTICUT RIVER VALLEY...AND EAST SLOPES OF THEBERKSHIRES. IN ADDITION...A DENSE SNOWPACK EXISTS ACROSS THEMAJORITY OF THIS REGION. THE COMBINATION OF SIGNIFICANT RAIN ANDSNOWMELT IS EXPECTED TO PRODUCE BOTH URBAN AND SMALL STREAMFLOODING.BY EARLY THIS EVENING...A TOTAL RAINFALL OF 2 INCHES IS FORECAST. A FLOOD WARNING MEANS THAT FLOODING IS IMMINENT. STREAMRISES WILL BE SLOW AND FLASH FLOODING IS NOT EXPECTED. HOWEVER...ALLINTERESTED PARTIES SHOULD TAKE NECESSARY PRECAUTIONS IMMEDIATELY."
The NWS has posted issued a warning for commuters today, advising them to avoid hilly areas and seek alternate routes:
DO NOT DRIVE YOUR VEHICLE INTO AREAS WHERE THE WATER COVERS THEROADWAY. THE WATER DEPTH MAY BE TOO GREAT TO ALLOW YOUR CAR TO CROSSSAFELY. MOVE TO HIGHER GROUND.IN HILLY TERRAIN THERE ARE HUNDREDS OF LOW WATER CROSSINGS WHICH AREPOTENTIALLY DANGEROUS IN HEAVY RAIN. DO NOT ATTEMPT TO TRAVEL ACROSSFLOODED ROADS. FIND ALTERNATE ROUTES. IT TAKES ONLY A FEW INCHES OFSWIFTLY FLOWING WATER TO CARRY VEHICLES AWAY.
While campus might have resumed the normal workday routine following a short delay in opening this morning, student's aren't happy having to trudge through up to 3 inches of rain, slush and ice on their way to classes.
Meredith Borg wrote in to let the Daily Collegian know her feelings:
"I really hope someone at the paper is going to write something about how students walked to classes in this terrible weather and that the university should have cancelled classes today. I walked from Washington to Bartlett having my pants become completely soaked up to my knees in freezing cold water and snow going up my leg, just to be there for less than 10 minutes. Please I really hope that who ever is in charge of closings gets the chance to read what having classes today put the students, the ones who didn’t have rainboots, through."
Let us know if you went to class today and keep us posted on campus conditions by either emailing us or commenting below.
Here's the actual advisory pulled from the National Weather Service Web site:
"AT 1103 AM EST RADAR INDICATED WIDESPREAD MODERATE TO HEAVY RAINCROSSING OVER THE CONNECTICUT RIVER VALLEY...AND EAST SLOPES OF THEBERKSHIRES. IN ADDITION...A DENSE SNOWPACK EXISTS ACROSS THEMAJORITY OF THIS REGION. THE COMBINATION OF SIGNIFICANT RAIN ANDSNOWMELT IS EXPECTED TO PRODUCE BOTH URBAN AND SMALL STREAMFLOODING.BY EARLY THIS EVENING...A TOTAL RAINFALL OF 2 INCHES IS FORECAST. A FLOOD WARNING MEANS THAT FLOODING IS IMMINENT. STREAMRISES WILL BE SLOW AND FLASH FLOODING IS NOT EXPECTED. HOWEVER...ALLINTERESTED PARTIES SHOULD TAKE NECESSARY PRECAUTIONS IMMEDIATELY."
The NWS has posted issued a warning for commuters today, advising them to avoid hilly areas and seek alternate routes:
DO NOT DRIVE YOUR VEHICLE INTO AREAS WHERE THE WATER COVERS THEROADWAY. THE WATER DEPTH MAY BE TOO GREAT TO ALLOW YOUR CAR TO CROSSSAFELY. MOVE TO HIGHER GROUND.IN HILLY TERRAIN THERE ARE HUNDREDS OF LOW WATER CROSSINGS WHICH AREPOTENTIALLY DANGEROUS IN HEAVY RAIN. DO NOT ATTEMPT TO TRAVEL ACROSSFLOODED ROADS. FIND ALTERNATE ROUTES. IT TAKES ONLY A FEW INCHES OFSWIFTLY FLOWING WATER TO CARRY VEHICLES AWAY.
While campus might have resumed the normal workday routine following a short delay in opening this morning, student's aren't happy having to trudge through up to 3 inches of rain, slush and ice on their way to classes.
Meredith Borg wrote in to let the Daily Collegian know her feelings:
"I really hope someone at the paper is going to write something about how students walked to classes in this terrible weather and that the university should have cancelled classes today. I walked from Washington to Bartlett having my pants become completely soaked up to my knees in freezing cold water and snow going up my leg, just to be there for less than 10 minutes. Please I really hope that who ever is in charge of closings gets the chance to read what having classes today put the students, the ones who didn’t have rainboots, through."
Let us know if you went to class today and keep us posted on campus conditions by either emailing us or commenting below.