Education

ND 2024 Severe Summer Weather Awareness Week: Tornado Drill

Tornado Drill information from the National Weather Service Bismarck, ND, Weather Forecast Office for the 2024 North Dakota Severe Summer Weather Awareness Week: April 22–26

📢 There will be a Tornado Drill at 11:15AM on Wednesday April 24.

The tornado drill is a great time to:

  • Review your severe weather plan of where to take shelter at home, work, or at school.
  • Practice going to your shelter area.
  • Ensure you have multiple ways of receiving a warning. Don’t just rely on the siren!

Disaster Supply Kit

🔗 from a NOAA infographic. Visit the ready.gov Build A Kit page for more information

  • Food and water
  • Battery powered weather radio
  • Flashlights and batteries
  • Cell phone with charger or spare battery pack
  • First aid kit
  • Pair of shoes
  • List of emergency contacts
  • Whistle to signal for help

Tornado Sirens

Sirens are for OUTDOOR warning purposes and are not meant to be heard indoors.

  • Hearing a siren is a signal to move indoors and seek additional information.
  • It does NOT mean that the threat has ended when the siren stops sounding.
  • Sirens are activated by city or county officials, not the National Weather Service.

Outdoor warning sirens are designed to warn those outside of threatening weather or some other type of emergency. You may or may not be able to hear a siren from within your home, especially when you are sleeping. Also, sirens may become disabled by severe weather.

Sirens are activated primarily by city or county officials. Each city or county can establish its own guidelines for when to activate the siren, such as for severe thunderstorm warnings in addition to tornado warnings. Contact or visit the website of your city or county emergency management for outdoor siren policy.

Have Multiple Methods to receive NWS Watches and Warnings

  • Local TV & Radio
  • Smartphone weather apps and Wireless Emergency Alerts
  • Internet e.g. https://weather.gov and https://mobile.weather.gov
  • Word of Mouth (family, friends, coworkers)
  • Outdoor Sirens only when you’re outdoors!
  • NOAA Weather Radio

ℹ️ Originally published at https://www.weather.gov/bis/nd_summer_3