Next week is Tornado Awareness Week

Wisconsin’s statewide tornado drill is an annual event, typically held during Tornado and Severe Weather Awareness Week. Due to concerns about the technical limitations of the drill, a decision has been made by Wisconsin Emergency Management, the National Weather Service, the Wisconsin Broadcasters Association, and Wisconsin Emergency Alert Systems (EAS) Committee to permanently discontinue the EAS live code test portion of the drill.

Instead, the National Weather Service (NWS) will be conducting a virtual tornado drill this year on Thursday, April 15, 2021. There will not be a test tornado watch or warning that comes out of the NWS office in Wisconsin or Minnesota. So, no Emergency Alert System (EAS) message will be sent to TV/radio or alerting on NOAA Weather Radio.

Also, WEA (Wireless Emergency Alerts) will not go off on cell phones. The Governor is encouraging everyone in the state to discuss and practice their plans on what to do during a tornado warning at 1:45 p.m. and 6:45 p.m. on April 15, as this is normally when the drill would take place. For many people, this includes going to their designated tornado shelter, whether they are at school, work or home.