Severe Weather Awareness Week:
2/3/25
The National Weather Service has designated this week, February, 3-7 2025 as Severe Weather Awareness Week in Alabama. Take this week to focus on and talk to your family about the different types of severe weather we face in Alabama, and how to prepare and react to keep you and your family safe.
It is a good time to review your safety plans you have in place at home, school, and work. Check your safe spaces, and any equipment, gear, and supplies you have to assure everything is in working order, and located where it is needed. It is also a great time to walk through drills with your family and practice what you will do in the event of severe weather. Wednesday February 5th is set aside by the NWS as a day to practice your tornado drills. There is no statewide drill, but people are strongly encourages to conduct their own drill at home. Always have a safety checklist available, know the difference in a watch and a warning, know where you are located on a map, know where local storm shelters are, and have a means of receiving current weather news and warnings.
If you discover that you need items for your kit or safe area, there is a tax holiday for Severe Weather Preparedness coming up from Friday Feb, 21 through Sunday Feb 23. During this tax holiday you can purchase needed items free of state sales tax. Below is a chart showing what items are included:
The National Weather Service has information and links available on their site at:
https://www.weather.gov/bmx/outreach_swaw
Also, remember in the event of severe weather, you can always tune into WEIS for breaking weather news and information.