Residential and Dining Enterprises (R&DE) sent an email to students Thursday morning warning of potential weather-related power outages for the next few days. “Heavy rain” and “wind gusts”  are expected to hit campus through the weekend, the email said. 

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration placed the Bay Area under a “flood watch” and “wind advisory” on Thursday. While the wind advisory lasts until Friday afternoon, the flood watch will continue until Sunday morning. 

This new wave of storms also comes two weeks after strong winds whipped through campus Feb. 21, felling trees and causing power outages at the Redwood City Campus and several houses on the upper row. Power was restored by the next morning. 

In the email to students, R&DE offered several measures students can perform in preparation including charging all devices and getting ready for a potential loss of heat.

If power outages do occur, students are encouraged to unplug devices, limit the opening of refrigerators and continue avoiding the use of candles to limit fire hazards. If power outages persist for an extended time, Arrillaga Family Dining Commons will open for “Wi-Fi, power, water and heat,” the email said. 

R&DE says that in the event of power outages, they will provide flashlights to students during normal dining hall operating hours. “R&DE staff will deliver flashlights to dining halls serving students without power as soon as possible following an outage,” the email reads. “If you do not already own a flashlight, you may retrieve one at your respective dining hall.”

The upcoming rain is yet another atmospheric event in an unusually active Winter season, which has flooded parts of Palo Alto and filled up the perennially dry Lake Lagunita. In the event of a power outage or other campus emergency, updates will be provided at Stanford’s emergency information site.