(Radio Iowa) – As part of Severe Weather Awareness Week, Iowans are urged to take part in this (Wednesday) morning’s statewide tornado drill. Meteorologist Alex Krull, at the National Weather Service in metro Des Moines, says with the number of deadly tornadoes that have already hit Iowa in recent weeks, he hopes people will take this drill very seriously, wherever they are at 10 A-M today. “Get your plan into action and practice executing your plan in the event severe weather strikes — which will likely be happening at some point this spring and summer,” Krull says. “Keep in mind, where are the best places to go in your own home, in your businesses or your school.”
We’ve heard stories from survivors of the March 5th tornadoes that tore through the Winterset area who rode out the powerful storm in their basements, but that’s not always an option for everyone. “If you don’t have a basement available to you, get to the lowest level floor of the building that is available and try to get to the center of it, particularly any room that has multiple interior walls,” Krull says. “A lot of times, it’s going to end up being a bathroom or a closet, something that puts as many walls between you and the outdoors as possible.” The annual statewide tornado drill will take place at the traditional time of 10 o’clock this morning, but the methods for issuing the alert have shifted.
“We will no longer be doing the test tornado warning like we’ve done in years past,” Krull says. “Rather, we’ll use things like social media to get the warning out and other various communications methods that we have with law enforcement and other core partners.” The derecho that hit Iowa on December 15th spawned a record 61 tornadoes, the highest number ever recorded in a single day in Iowa. The storms on March 5th spun off ten tornadoes across the state which claimed seven lives and destroyed or damaged dozens of homes.
“The tornado drill is always an important drill for Iowans and anyone in the Midwest to go through every year, just given the frequency of severe weather,” Krull says. “Given the notable tornado outbreaks we’ve had in the past six months here in the state of Iowa, definitely will have a little more attention to it than it may have had in past years.”
Learn more about today’s drill and this awareness week at www.weather.gov/dmx.
Today: Cloudy & windy, w/light rain mixed w/flurries at times. High 41. NW @ 15-30 w/gusts to near 35.
Tonight: Decreasing cloudiness. Low 32/ NW @ 10-20 w/gusts to near 30 before diminishing late.
Tomorrow: P/Cldy & windy. High 48. NW @ 10-20.
Friday: P/Cldy. High 53.
Saturday: P/Cldy. High near 50.
Tuesday’s High in Atlantic was 46. Our Low this morning, was 34 (at 7-a.m.). We received .37″ rain yesterday (after 7-a.m.) at KJAN. Last year on this date the High in Atlantic was 55 and the Low was 42. The Record High on this date was 86 in 1910. The Record Low was 4 in 1974.
Today: Rain. High nearly steady in the 40’s. N @ 10-20 mph.
Tonight: Light rain mixed with snow late. Low 34. N @ 15-25.
Tomorrow: Light rain/snow, mainly in the morning. Cloudy. High 40. N @ 15-25.
Thursday: Becoming P/Cldy. High 48.
Friday: P/Cldy. High 53.
Monday’s High in Atlantic was 70. Our Low this morning, 45. Rainfall up until 5-a.m. today, was .41″. Last year on this date the High in Atlantic was 49 and the Low was 39. The Record High on this date was 86 in 1910. The Record Low was -6 in 1912.
(Harlan) Shelby County Emergency Management Coordinator Alex Londo reports they are planning on setting off the sirens Wednesday, March 23, around 10:00 a.m. for Severe Weather Awareness Week. In the event of actual severe weather, the tests will be conducted Thursday.
Council Bluffs, March 21, 2022 – Severe Weather Awareness Week begins today and will run through Friday, March 25th. This week is an opportunity to highlight the importance of being aware of, and prepared for, severe weather. It is also an ideal time to review and practice your family, school, and workplace emergency plan and procedures.
Each day this week will focus on different severe weather topics:
• Monday – Severe Thunderstorms
• Tuesday – Weather Warnings
• Wednesday – Tornadoes
• Thursday – Family Preparedness
• Friday – Flash Floods
The annual Iowa and Nebraska statewide tornado drills will take place on Wednesday, March 23, beginning at 10 a.m. Tornado sirens will sound in all Pottawattamie County communities during the drill. If there is an actual severe weather threat Wednesday, the drill will be postponed to March 24th.
“It is critical that families, businesses, and schools take this opportunity to review and practice what they would do during severe weather threats,” said Doug Reed, Director of Emergency Management. “Pottawattamie County and its communities were extremely lucky on December 15th when we experienced four tornado touchdowns in our county. A shift in storm track of less than a quarter mile could have placed three of those tornadoes tracking directly into four of our communities.” “Iowa has already seen this year the heart-breaking effects of the dangers severe weather presents.”
Everyone who lives in Pottawattamie County should sign up for severe weather warnings from the Alert Iowa system. This service is free. It is also used to provide localized emergency alerts and information related to all types of threats and hazards. Sign up at https://pcema-ia.org.
Emergency Management will post helpful videos each day this week on its website, Facebook page, twitter account, and YouTube channel.
Today: P/Cldy to Cldy w/showers late. High 72. S @ 15-30 mph.
Tonight: Cldy w/shwrs & tstrms. Low 43. N @ 10.
Tomorrow: Mo. Cldy w/rain. High 45. N @ 10-20.
Wednesday: Cldy w/a light rain-snow mix at times in the morning. High 40.
Thursday: P/Cldy. High around 50.
Sunday’s High in Atlantic was 73. Our Low was 27. Last year on this date the High in Atlantic was 68 and the Low was 39. The Record High on this date was 88 in 1907. The Record Low was -7 in 1960.
Today: Mostly sunny & breezy, with a high near 73. S @ 10-20 w/gusts to near 25.
Tonight: Mostly cloudy & breezy, with a low around 51. S/SW @ 15-30 mph.
Monday: Partly sunny w/a slight chance of rain in the afternoon. High near 68. S/SW winds 15-30.
Tuesday: Showers. High near 53. North wind 10 to 25 mph. New precipitation amounts between a half and three quarters of an inch possible.
Wednesday: Rain. High near 43.
Saturday’s High in Atlantic was 60. The Low was 25. Last year on this date, the High in Atlantic was 62 and the Low was 31. The record High was 80, in 1938. The Record Low was -7, in 1906.
SATURDAY SKYSCAN FORECAST 3-19-2022
TODAY: Some patchy fog this morning, otherwise sunny skies. SW10 High 58
TONIGHT: Fair to pt cloudy skies. S 5-10 Low 32
SUNDAY: Partly cloudy skies SW 10-20 High 72
MONDAY: Partly cloudy to cloudy skies with showers and T storms late. High 68
TUESDAY: Mostly cloudy skies. Some rain and T storms High 58
DES MOINES – Cass County Emergency Management, Iowa Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management (HSEMD), National Weather Service (NWS), and Iowa Emergency Management Association (IEMA) have joined together to promote Severe Weather Awareness Week in Iowa.
Severe Weather Awareness Week, March 21-25, is an opportunity to highlight the importance of being aware of, and prepared for, severe weather. It is also an ideal time to review your family’s emergency plan, check the contents of your emergency kit, and sign up to receive alerts to stay weather aware.
Mike Kennon, Cass County EMA Coordinator says “Severe weather season arrived much earlier than is typical this year. The December 15th derecho that spawned a local tornado as well as the deadly March 5th tornado in Madison County remind us that we need to stay prepared for severe weather events.” 
Each day during Severe Weather Awareness Week has a different focus:
Monday – Severe thunderstorms
Tuesday – Weather warnings
Wednesday – Tornadoes
Thursday – Family preparedness
Friday – Flash floods
The annual statewide tornado drill will take place on Wed., March 23, beginning at 10 a.m. In the event of severe weather, the drill will be postponed to March 24 at 10 a.m.
Additional information about the tornado drill can be found on local NWS-DM website. For more information on severe weather preparedness, visit www.beready.iowa.gov.
To find a link to sign up for local emergency alerts on the Cass County homepage, visit https://www.casscountyia.gov or https://homelandsecurity.iowa.gov/alert-iowa
Follow HSEMD, IEMA, and NWS on social media using the hashtag #IAwx and #ReadyIowa.
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