Severe Weather Awareness Week

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2009 Severe Weather Awareness Week in Minnesota and Wisconsin

April 20th through the 24th is Severe Weather Awareness Week in Minnesota. More information on Severe Weather Awareness Week activities in Minnesota can be obtained from the Minnesota Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management.

April 20th through the 24th is also Tornado and Severe Weather Awareness Week in the state of Wisconsin. More information can be obtained from Wisconsin Emergency Management .

Tornado watch/warning drills will be held on Thursday, April 23th. A schedule for the tornado watch/warning drills appears at the bottom of the page.

Information on Siren Activation appears below.

Each day during our Severe Weather Awareness Week, a statement will be issued by the NWS Twin Cities providing more information about severe weather safety. The list of daily topics for Severe Weather Awareness Week is:

Monday, April 20th - Thunderstorms, Hail, Wind and Lightning

Tuesday, April 21st - Severe Weather Watches and Warnings, and How to Receive Severe Weather Information

Wednesday, April 22nd - Flash Floods

Thursday, April 23rd - Tornado Safety Information

Friday, April 24th - Heat Waves

Siren Activation Information

Counties and cities own the sirens, and therefore decide how and when to activate them. The National Weather Service does not sound them.

There are many different policies regarding siren activation that are used by the various cities and counties. Some will activate sirens across the entire county for tornado warnings only. Others will activate sirens countywide for tornado warnings and all severe thunderstorm warnings. Some will activate sirens across the entire county for tornado warnings and severe thunderstorms that have winds of at least 70 or 75 mph. Others will activate sirens only for portions of counties. Local officials may also sound the sirens anytime they believe severe weather is a threat, even if there is no warning from the National Weather Service.

Sirens normall sound for about three minutes, and then go silent. It is very rare to keep the sirens sounding for the entire warning, since that would cause the backup battery to run out, which would be critical in the event that power goes out. Furthermore, the siren motor will fail much more quickly if the siren sounds continuously. Some jurisdictions may repeat siren activation every few minutes.

There is no such thing as an "all-clear" for storms.

Please check with your local public safety officials for details on when warning sirens are sounded in your community.

Tornado Watch/Warning Drills

The National Weather Service, Wisconsin Emergency Management, the Minnesota Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management, and other state, county and local agencies have come together to host Severe Weather Awareness Week activities. On Thursday, April 23rd, simulated tornado watches and warnings will be issued to test the statewide warning and communications systems. The schedule for April 23rd is as follows:

(all times CDT)

9:00 AM: The National Weather Service will issue a simulated tornado watch for Minnesota (except the northwest portion of the state).

1:00 PM: The National Weather Service will issue a simulated tornado watch for Wisconsin.

1:40 PM: The National Weather Service will issue a simulated tornado warning for 9 counties of western Wisconsin (Barron, Chippewa, Dunn, Eau Claire, Pepin, Pierce, Polk, Rusk and St Croix). Note that most cities and counties will activate outdoor warning siren systems.

1:45 PM: The National Weather Service will issue a simulated tornado warning for Minnesota counties (except those in the northwestern part of the state). Note that most cities and counties will activate outdoor warning siren systems.

2:00 PM: The National Weather Service will issue an "End of Test" message using the Severe Weather Statement product. It should be stated that outdoor warning sirens will not be sounded again for this all clear, nor will there be any warning tone on NOAA Weather Radio.

6:55 PM: Another simulated tornado warning will be issued for participating counties in Minnesota. Those counties are: Anoka, Benton, Big Stone, Brown, Carver, Cass, Chippewa, Chisago, Cottonwood, Crow Wing, Dakota, Douglas, Freeborn, Goodhue, Hennepin, Isanti, Jackson, Kandiyohi, Lac Qui Parle, Lake, Le Sueur, Lyon, Martin, Mc Leod, Meeker, Mille Lacs, Morrison, Mower, Murray, Nicollet, Nobles, Olmsted, Pine, Pipestone, Pope, Ramsey, Redwood, Renville, Rice, Rock, Scott, Sherburne, Stearns, Steele, Stevens, Swift, Todd, Traverse, Wabasha, Waseca, Washington, Watonwan, Winona and Wright.

A graphic of the counties participating in the evening drill is available at http://www.severeweather.state.mn.us/Documents/Participating_Counties_Drill_Map_2009.pdf

The 6:55 PM warning will be issued by five of the National Weather Service offices that serve Minnesota. It will be issued as a test of family preparedness in the home and for second shift workers.

National Weather Service Weather Forecast Office