Today is the day of the Statewide tornado drill in Wisconsin and Minnesota as part of Severe Weather Awareness Week. The Emergency Alert System live code test portion of the drill has been called off this year due to a programming error. The NWS is still encouraging everyone to practice your tornado drill plans whether you’re at home, work, or school at 1:45 this afternoon and 6:45 this evening. According to the NWS, peak tornado season is May & June, and peak times are between 3:00 – 9:00 p.m. but can form at any time if conditions are right. A tornado warning could be put in place if a funnel cloud or tornado is spotted on doppler radar. If a tornado warning is put in place for your county, the NWS has some recommendations for the best practices. If you’re at home, move to a sturdy building, stay away from windows and doors, move to the basement or lowest level or your home in an interior room like a bathroom or closet. If you’re travelling when a tornado warning is issued, the NWS says you shouldn’t try to outrun it. If the tornado spotted is far enough away, you should drive away from it. If it’s close while travelling, find a sturdy building to get to for shelter. If no shelter is available, culverts or ditches can be more safe than being on the open road.
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