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Emergency Management

Severe Weather

At Clemson University, the safety of our students, faculty and staff is our top priority. In the event of severe weather, one of our goals is to provide notifications with adequate time for our population to take protective actions. To help accomplish that goal, we subscribe to AccuWeather’s SkyGuard warning system as an additional layer of safety to supplement the National Weather Service’s (NWS) forecasts. They generate site-specific weather information customized to Clemson University’s Main Campus and our needs.

SkyGuard utilizes different criteria than NWS, allowing them to provide advance notice for dangerous weather such as tornadoes. Additionally, this service allows for minimal disruption to campus operations when a weather hazard is nearby but not anticipated to affect campus.

Clemson has several methods to alert you to severe weather:

  • Outdoor notifications, including sirens and voice messages, alert people who are outside to go inside and get more information. These hazards include significant public safety situations, tornadoes and are most often sounded when lightning is detected within eight miles of the campus.
  • For severe weather alerts, such as a tornado warning, a CU Alert will be sent via the following methods:

For any questions related to our process for severe weather alerts, email emergency@clemson.edu.