Posted 4:04 p.m. Tuesday, April 5, 2022
April 4-8, 2022 is Tornado and Severe Weather Awareness Week in Wisconsin. It’s a great time to review your plans in the event severe weather strikes.
April 4-8, 2022 is Tornado and Severe Weather Awareness Week in Wisconsin. It’s a great time to review your plans in the event severe weather strikes.
According to the National Weather Service (NWS), Wisconsin averages 23 tornadoes per year. During the 2021 season, the NWS confirmed 41 tornadoes touched down in the State of Wisconsin. While spring and summer are the most active time of the year for tornadoes, they can happen in any month.
From the National Weather Service:
Find out what you can do before severe weather strikes. Preparation is key to staying safe and minimizing impacts.
- Be Weather-Ready: Check the forecast regularly to see if you're at risk for severe weather. Listen to local news or a NOAA Weather Radio to stay informed about severe thunderstorm watches and warnings. Check the Weather-Ready Nation for tips.
- Sign Up for Notifications: Know how your community sends warning. Some communities have outdoor sirens. Others depend on media and smart phones to alert residents to severe storms.
- Create a Communications Plan: Have a family plan that includes an emergency meeting place and related information. Pick a safe room in your home such as a basement, storm cellar or an interior room on the lowest floor with no windows. Get more ideas for a plan at: https://www.ready.gov/make-a-plan
- Practice Your Plan: Conduct a family severe thunderstorm drill regularly so everyone knows what to do if a damaging wind or large hail is approaching. Make sure all members of your family know to go there when severe thunderstorm warnings are issued. Don't forget pets if time allows.
- Prepare Your Home : Keep trees and branches trimmed near your house. If you have time before severe weather hits, secure loose objects, close windows and doors, and move any valuable objects inside or under a sturdy structure.
- Help Your Neighbor: Encourage your loved ones to prepare for severe thunderstorms. Take CPR training so you can help if someone is hurt during severe weather.
From UW-La Crosse's Emergency Preparedness Plan:
A tornado watch/severe weather watch means tornadoes are likely to develop. Employees are expected to be alert to changing weather situations and be prepared to take action if upgraded to a warning. A tornado warning means a tornado has been spotted in the immediate area. Employees/students are expected to take the following action.
- If you receive notification of a tornado warning or sight a tornado, move to the lowest level in an interior hallway of the building as quickly as possible.
- Stay away from windows and areas with a large expanse of glass.
- Avoid auditoriums, gymnasiums, and other large rooms with free-span roofs.
- DO NOT USE ELEVATORS.
- If persons with disabilities cannot safely move to the lowest level, assist them to an interior hallway away from windows and areas with a large expanse of glass.
- Protect your head and face. If possible, get under a sturdy table or other structure.
