Severe Weather Awareness Week is April 13–17, 2026

Each year, Homeland Security and Emergency Management collaborates with the National Weather Service to sponsor Severe Weather Awareness Week in Minnesota. The week is designed to refresh, remind and educate everyone about the seasonal threats from severe weather and how to avoid them. It’s also a great time to make and practice your emergency plan and build or refresh your emergency preparedness kit.

Severe Weather Week, including statewide tornado drills, is scheduled to take place the week of April 13-17, 2026. Outdoor warning sirens and NOAA Weather Radios will sound in a simulated tornado warning at 1:45 p.m. and 6:45 p.m. on Thursday, April 16. Stevens County and Big Stone County Emergency Management invites residents to participate in the tornado drills regardless of where they’re working, playing, or being educated.

Understanding the threat of severe weather and knowing what to do when it strikes can save lives. Take advantage of the week to review your own and your family’s emergency procedures and prepare for weather-related hazards.

Each day of the week focuses on a different weather safety topic:

•             Monday: Alerts and Warnings

•             Tuesday: Hail, Wind, and Lightening

•             Wednesday: Flooding

•             Thursday: Tornadoes (with statewide tornado drills)

•             Friday: Extreme Heat