Weather Monitoring

Lightning is one of the nature's most dangerous severe weather threats. It is recommended that all outdoor campus events prepare and plan appropriately for the threat of lightning. The Office of Emergency Management recommends a 15-10-8 approach to lightning. This means that when lightning is within 15 miles, all necessary parties are notified to prepare for a potential shut down of the event. At 10 miles, actions are taken to prepare for the shut down of the event. At 8 miles, activities cease and everyone is moved indoors and remain there until 30 minutes have passed since the last lightning strike has occurred within an 8 mile radius. Once the 30 minutes has passed, outdoor activities for the event can resume. It is always the recommendation of the Office of Emergency Management that contingency plans be prepared when there is a threat of potential severe weather and/or lightning.  

OEM is also available to support any campus event for weather and lightning monitoring. Requests should be submitted to OEM three days prior to the event date to ensure coverage and availability.

request weather monitoring
Image depicting StormReady status of Kennesaw State University

StormReady

StormReady is a National Weather Service program designed to recognize sites that have reached a high level of severe weather preparedness. 

The program encourages communities to take a new, proactive approach to improving local hazardous weather operations. To be officially StormReady, a community must:

  • Establish a 24-hour warning point and emergency operations center
  • Have more than one way to receive severe weather warnings and forecasts and to alert the public
  • Create a system that monitors weather conditions locally
  • Promote the importance of public readiness through community seminars 
  • Develop a formal hazardous weather plan, which includes training severe weather spotters and holding emergency exercises. 

KSU has been recognized as a StormReady university since 2014 and recently renewed our StormReady status. We are extremely fortunate to work alongside our NWS partners to ensure campus safety!