MONROE — Gov. Tony Evers has declared April 8 to 12 as Wisconsin’s Tornado and Severe Weather Awareness Week.

Tanna McKeon, director of Green County Emergency Management, urges schools, businesses, families and individuals to take advantage of this time to test their emergency plans. The statewide tornado drills will be April 11, with a mock tornado watch issued at 1 p.m. followed by a mock tornado warning at 1:45 p.m. 

A mock tornado warning will also be conducted at 6:45 p.m. to give families a chance to test their emergency plans. Many area municipalities will be testing their warning sirens and many radio and TV stations across the state will issue the test tornado warnings. In addition, mock alerts will be issued on NOAA Weather Radios too. Be sure your weather radio is turned on for this test. If the alarm on your weather radio does not go off for this test, check your weather radio’s programming and quality of reception.

The tornado drill will take place even if the sky is cloudy, dark or rainy. If severe storms are expected in the state on April 11 the tornado drills will be postponed until April 12 with the same times. If severe storms continue Friday, the drills will be cancelled.

During storm season — follow this message: Listen, Act and Live. Don’t ignore watches and warnings. Listen and take action. Every second counts. Don’t wait; go to a safe place right away. Many people have suffered injuries or lost their lives by not taking immediate shelter when a warning is issued. 

Wisconsin averages 23 tornadoes annually. In 2018, the National Weather Service confirmed 33 tornadoes in the state. This included 19 tornadoes on Aug. 28, the second largest August tornado outbreak in Wisconsin’s weather history. One of those tornadoes near Brownsville in Dodge County was rated EF2 with winds near 125 mph; the strongest of the year.