Governor Bryant declares this week as Fall Severe Weather Preparedness Week

MISSISSIPPI (WCBI) – Governor Phil Bryant declared this week as Fall Severe Weather Preparedness Week.

Every day this week, MEMA and the National Weather Service will focus on specific types of severe weather.

The outline for each day is listed below:

• Monday, Oct. 21: Alerts and Warnings There are numerous ways to receive weather alerts from your cellphones to weather radios to mass notification systems.
• Tuesday, Oct 22: Severe Thunderstorms —Lightning, large hail and damaging winds from severe storms are just as dangerous as tornadoes.
• Wednesday, Oct. 23: Tornado Safety. A statewide tornado drill will be conducted at 9:15 a.m.
• Thursday, Oct. 24: Flooding and Flash Flooding. Flooding is the number one cause of weather-related deaths behind heat. Remember… Turn Around, Don’t Drown.
• Friday, Oct. 25: Winter Weather. Surprisingly, these winter events can affect the Magnolia State before winter officially begins in late December.

So far in 2019, the state has experienced 86 tornados, which is 18% higher than the yearly average. Because of this, MEMA is encouraging residents to continue to stay aware of severe weather throughout fall.

Since 1950, Mississippians have experienced 2,200 tornadoes spawned from severe weather, over 800 of which occurred during the months of November through February.

To find out more on Fall Severe Weather Preparedness Week, click here.