Heavy rainfall and flooding could affect football game plans this weekend as Hurricane Ivan moves up the East Coast.

"We are concerned about the slow speed of Ivan. The speed and track will be the key," said Alex Sosnowski, expert senior meteorologist at AccuWeather.

Sosnowski said flooding is possible in the Gulf Coast before heading to the central Appalachian mountains.

"There is a lot of uncertainty with the forward speed of Ivan," Sosnowki said.

William Syrett, Penn State's Campus Weather Service adviser, said there are many uncertainties about how Ivan will affect Centre County's weather.

"It's certainly a possibility, but [Hurricane Ivan] could just as easily not affect us," Syrett said.

Jeff Nelson, Penn State's assistant athletic director, said the athletic office is monitoring Ivan's storm track to make parking adjustments.

Nelson said that in past years, when rainfall was expected prior to or during the game, parking on the grass was either limited or prohibited to prevent cars from getting stuck in the mud.

"By tomorrow, we should have a very good idea of where the landfall will be and the track," Nelson said.

Nelson said Penn State would make its weekend plans available tomorrow at the earliest.

"Flooding would be possible, but by no means a certainty," Syrett said.

If the storm survives, the effects could be similar to that of the rainy weather we experienced as a result of Hurricane Frances.

Nelson said the athletic office has had to deal with making adjustments for weather on past football weekends.

"This would not be a new situation for our operational staff to handle," Nelson said.

The athletic office would work together with the Penn State office of public information to get the information out to the public.

"We feel that we could get the message out quickly and clearly," Nelson said.

Syrett said rain from Hurricane Ivan is unlikely to set a record, but it could possibly set a daily rain record.

"We've had just over 3.5 inches of rain this month, and the record is just a little over 11 inches. It would take a lot more rain to set a monthly record."

Information will most likely be made available on the student newswire, the faculty/staff newswire and at www.gopsusports.com.

Steve Shelow, Penn State deputy director of police services, said Penn State parking and police employees are meeting at 9 a.m. today to talk about Ivan's impact and make alternate arrangements.

Shelow said the intent of tomorrow's meeting is to determine whether grass fields around the stadium will be suitable for parking and if it is not, they will identify paid parking areas that can be used for the game.

"Our biggest concern at this point is recreational vehicles and motor homes," Shelow said.

Centre Area Transportation Authority has shuttles available for game day. The shuttle starts three hours prior to the game and continues until one hour after the game. The pick-up locations are Hills Plaza and Hills South, and the cost is $1.50 one way. Passengers are dropped off in front of the Bryce Jordan Center.

"There are certainly some other options if we get to that point," Nelson said.

Kickoff is scheduled for 12:10 p.m. at Beaver Stadium.

"We'll have to see how Ivan tracks inward from southern Alabama Thursday into Friday," Sosnowski said.