Minnesota, Wisconsin to hold statewide tornado drills on Thursday

Krystal Frasier KSTP

Severe weather week: tornado safety

As part of severe weather awareness week, Minnesotans and Wisconsinites are being encouraged to participate in their state’s statewide tornado drills being held on Thursday afternoon and evening.

Tornado sirens may sound in cities and counties across both states at 1:45 p.m. and 6:45 p.m., allowing businesses and schools to practice in case of a real emergency during the day, as well as families and businesses to do so in the evening.

During the drills, the National Weather Service is expected to sound alerts on National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration weather radios. While some communities may choose to test their outdoor sirens during the drill times, that decision will be made locally.

When a tornado is on the ground, emergency officials remind everyone the best places for shelter are:

In a basement away from exterior walls and windows.
Ground floor interior room with no windows and no shared exterior walls.
A closet or a bathroom.

Wisconsin officials say there may be some isolated storms pop up during the day and evening hours, however, they aren’t expected to be severe.