Severe Weather Awareness Week, April 13-17
Each year, Homeland Security and Emergency Management in collaboration with the National Weather Service sponsors Severe Weather Awareness Week in Minnesota. The week is designed to refresh, remind and educate everyone about the seasonal threats from severe weather and how to avoid them. It’s also a great time to make and practice your emergency plan and build or refresh your emergency preparedness kit.
Each day of the week is dedicated to a different weather safety topic:
- Monday: Alerts and Warnings
- Tuesday: Severe Weather, Lighting and Hail
- Wednesday: Floods
- Thursday: Tornadoes
- Friday: Extreme Heat
The most important event to note this week, are the two statewide tornado drills which sound sirens across Minnesota at 1:45 and 6:45 p.m. today (Thursday, April 16). According to the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, Minnesota experiences an average of 28 tornadoes per year. In 2018, 44 twisters touched down. A record was set in 2010 with 113 tornadoes touching down across the state. Understanding this threat and knowing what to do when a tornado is approaching can save lives.
Learn more about Severe Weather Awareness Week, along with resources and information on each safety topic covered throughout the week by clicking here.