Fall move-in will be tested this year by threats of Hurricane Irene spiraling toward the East Coast and the University’s lack of a main parking hub as students and their families arrive on campus.

Residence halls will open for move-in Friday at 10 a.m., a day earlier than planned, in response to previous reports that Irene might hit the D.C.-area.

More recent forecasts show the storm possibly heading farther east.

Possible District weather scenarios include a partly sunny Saturday with sporadic showers and moderate Potomac flooding, with heavy rainshowers going into Sunday followed by potential flash floods, according to The Washington Post.

The Post also reported that there is still a chance the storm could swerve west and strike the D.C. area.

“In that scenario, flooding rain and damaging winds would probably occur over the metro region late Saturday into Sunday, with storm surge flooding along the Tidal Potomac,” The Post reported.

The National Park Service and organizers of the dedication ceremony for the new Martin Luther King Jr. memorial are also tracking the storm, but the Associated Press reported that plans for the event remain unchanged by weather warnings.

Families driving down to move their students to campus will be forced to park in a smaller garage on campus while bulldozers continue to tear down the University Parking Garage.

University spokeswoman Michelle Sherrard declined to comment on potential traffic jams and parking woes.

Alternate parking sites include the Marvin Center and the Elliott School of International Affairs. It is advised to park larger vehicles on the Mount Vernon Campus, and then take the Vern Express to the Foggy Bottom Campus.

The nearby Kennedy Center is also listed as a parking option, as well as several public parking garages, including one at The Avenue, located at 2200 Pennsylvania Ave.