Severe Weather Awareness Week

April 17 – 21, 2023

Are you ready for severe weather?  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 will focus on a different topic:

• Monday – Alerts and Warnings
• Tuesday – Severe Weather, Lightning, and Hail
• Wednesday – Floods
• Thursday – Tornadoes (with statewide tornado drills)
• Friday – Extreme Heat

Statewide Tornado Drills

The most important event during Severe Weather Awareness Week are the two annual statewide tornado drills. On Thursday, April 20 at 1:45 p.m. and 6:45 p.m. They will provide an excellent opportunity for residents to prepare their homes, families, neighborhoods, and communities.

Prepare Your Family

ð Create or update emergency plans with your entire family so everyone knows what to do in an emergency. Ensure everyone has up-to-date contact info and knows what to do.
ð Practice your family plan during the tornado drills. Have everyone build a family emergency kit together.
ð Check with places your family spends time, such as schools, workplaces, churches, markets, or sports facilities to learn what their emergency plans are.
ð Share the plans for these areas with your entire family and talk about what you would do if your family was not together during a disaster.

For more information about emergency preparedness, go to the National Weather Service website (https://www.weather.gov)