Weather
Severe Weather Awareness Week For Northfield Residents
This week is intended to remind everyone about the severe weather threats present in Minnesota.
April 13, 2020
The week of April 13-17 is Severe Weather Awareness Week in Minnesota. This week is intended to remind everyone about the severe weather threats present in Minnesota. This is also an excellent time to practice your emergency plan, or create one if you don’t have one already and to build or refresh your emergency preparedness kits.
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Educators, leaders or communicators may want to use this Severe Weather Awareness Week to help deliver information to school-aged children.
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Educators and kids information
Severe Weather Awareness Week activities
Monday, April 13 - Alerts and Warnings
Tuesday, April 14 - Severe Weather, Lightning and Hail
Wednesday, April 15 - Floods
Thursday, April 16 - Tornadoes - two statewide tornado drills
Friday, April 17 - Extreme Heat
Tornado drill info April 16: Reminder messages will be distributed in the morning on Thursday, April 16.
The first drill allows businesses, and industries to make their employees aware of severe weather shelter locations within their facilities. In this time of social distancing, businesses are asked not to require employees to practice emergency sheltering. Instead, make them aware of the severe shelters within your facility.
The second, evening drill, allows families and businesses with second shifts to practice their sheltering plans. Again, in this time of social distancing, businesses are asked not to require employees to practice emergency sheltering. Instead, make them aware of the severe shelters within your facility.
Important notes for Tornado Drill Day 2020
The NWS will not activate any tones on NOAA Weather Radio in Minnesota or Wisconsin. This also means it will not be carried by TV/radio/cable for those stations that use weather radio as an input on EAS (emergency alert system).
Local outdoor warning sirens will activate for the 1:45 p.m. and 6:55 p.m. drills. With school age children being home during the day this year, this is a good time to discuss where to shelter in your home.
Postponement or cancellation
If real severe weather is a significant threat on or before April 16, any of the six National Weather Service offices that serve Minnesota may postpone the simulated watch and warning for their area to Friday, April 17.
If the weather threat is continuing into Friday, then the drills may be cancelled. Any postponement or cancellation will be announced through the media.
There is no such thing as an all-clear siren.
More information
Severe Weather Awareness Week, Minnesota Department of Public Safety
This press release was produced by the City of Northfield. The views expressed here are the author’s own.