A little advice for students moving in Thursday: Bring an umbrella.

Move-in day featured frequent, heavy rains, and the effects of it split Huskies: guide Jose Hurtado, a junior electrical engineering major, said the weather “kinda kills the mood,” while Gilbert Hall Director Elizabeth Plapp said the weather hadn’t affected move-ins at the newly re-opened residence hall. The National Weather Service issued a flood warning for DeKalb County, and the Taste of Northern was canceled.

“The rain today is new to me,” said Plapp, who has experienced seven move-in days as a student and employee. “I don’t think it’s put a damper on things.”

Hurtado and Eligio Guerrero, junior mechanical engineering major and a move-in guide, were forced inside Gilbert Hall with other guides when the weather turned sour early in the day.

“We really can’t do anything,” Guerrero said.

The two planned to help at the residence halls until noon, but said if the rain slowed things down they would “definitely stay.” Hurtado said “as soon as we get the OK we’ll go back out.”

Bob Feltman, junior special education major, was moving in to Gilbert Hall when the rain started. He said the weather was “not that bad.”

NIU President Doug Baker and Rep. Bob Pritchard were among the administration who gathered at Gilbert for its opening. Baker teased that he had been “pumping iron” so he would be ready to help students move their furniture.

Plapp said about 100 students, or half of those assigned to Gilbert Hall, were moving in on Thursday. About 1,300 students had already moved in to NIU’s residence halls by Thursday, and the university expects about 4,278 students to live in the halls this semester.