The National Weather Service has placed King, Lewis, Thurston, Pierce, and several other counties in Washington under a severe thunderstorm watch for March 26, 2025. The watch is in effect from Wednesday at 3:10 p.m. to 9 p.m. and includes the city of Seattle and most of its greater metropolitan area.
In response to the weather advisory, Seattle Pacific University made announcements on the weather and possible threats to students, including high 40 mile per hour winds, hail between one to two inches in diameter, lightning, and a low risk for tornadoes. In an email sent out to students from Cheryl Michaels, the director of safety and security at SPU, Michaels notified students, faculty and staff of the university temporarily closing Tiffany Loop due to the risk of branches or trees falling down.
“As a precaution, the Loop walkways will close at 3:00 PM today to 6:00 AM, due to potential risks from mature trees in high pedestrian areas” Michaels said. “Campuswide Tree Caution: Avoid standing/walking beneath trees across all campus areas during wind gusts. Report fallen branches immediately to Security at (206) 281-2922.”
The email also notified students of possible power outages affecting the campus. This update comes little over a month after SPU’s last outage in late February which affected multiple buildings on campus including Ashton Hall, Otto Miller, the Cremona Classrooms and other buildings.
“Charge devices now and save work frequently. Restoration times may be extended if storms prevent utility crews from safe repairs. For more information, please visit: Seattle City Light map: https://www.seattle.gov/city-light/outages.”
Additionally, Michaels and the Office of Safety and Security precautioned commuters to be mindful of changes to their travel times and possible delays.
“While no class cancellations are planned at this time, we encourage flexibility for those needing to adjust travel plans. Stay safe and thank you for taking precautions during this unusual weather event.”
Students with cars are strongly advised to move their cars under cover or away from open and exposed areas as fallen branches and hail may damage vehicles, buildings, and windows.
