There will be two statewide mock tornado drills in Wisconsin on Thursday, as part of Tornado and Severe Weather Awareness Week.
Wisconsin Emergency Management, the National Weather Service and the Wisconsin Broadcasters Association are teaming up to sponsor the statewide drill.
The traditional mock tornado watch will be issued at 1 p.m., and a mock tornado warning will be issued at 1:45 p.m.
Numerous broadcast stations will issue the test tornado warnings. In addition, mock alerts will be issued on NOAA Weather Radios and many communities will sound their tornado sirens.
New this year will be a mock tornado warning issued at 6:55 p.m. Todd Pritchard with Wisconsin Emergency Management says the later drill can provide an opportunity for families to discuss their plans in the event of severe weather.
“Even if it’s just a five minute discussion, that little bit of planning, that five minutes can save your life,” Pritchard said. Pritchard said it’s also a great idea to have a household emergency kit in the event of power outages or other problems related to severe weather