Minnesota Severe Weather Awareness Alerts and Warnings

This is Severe Weather Awareness Week in Minnesota.  April 12 through April 16, 2021.  Each day of the week a different topic has been chosen to highlight in an effort to educate us about dangers during severe weather.

Homeland Security and Emergency Management (HSEM), a division of the Minnesota Department of Public Safety has chosen the week and messages to be delivered to us.

We are fortunate to live in an age and country where our technology can now communicate with us almost anywhere and give us advanced warnings of impending hazards or other important information.

Knowing where and how you can receive the warnings and what to do when you get them can mean the difference between life and death.

Rice County and the City of Faribault both use the Everbridge Alert System to notify people when severe weather is possible or happening.

A severe thunderstorm or tornado watch means conditions are right for severe thunderstorms or tornadoes to develop.  You should make sure everything is ready in case a warning is issued.

Have a kit ready in case you must seek shelter.  The weather kit should include extra batteries, blankets, shoes, water and snacks in case you are trapped for awhile.

A severe thunderstorm or tornado warning means severe weather is imminent and you should seek shelter immediately.

This would be a great time to sign up for Everbridge.  Officials tell us not enough people have signed up for the emergency message alert system.

Remember outdoor sirens are designed to warn anyone who is outdoors .  Once they hear the siren they should tune to local radio and find out why the siren has been sounded.

Click here to sign up for everbridge.

It will take just a few minutes.

Some interesting weather information.