Tornado Warning Drill Wednesday
Written by Andrew-Rossi on April 11, 2017
Tornados are rare in Wyoming, but they do occur.
So tomorrow at 10:30 a.m., tornado sirens will be going off – not because there’s an actual tornado, but because weather service and emergency management officials want residents to practice what to do if funnel clouds really were about to touch down.
The spring months produce some wide ranging weather across Wyoming, from tornadoes to snowstorms. Chad Hahn, meteorologist at the National Weather Service Office in Cheyenne, says that residents need to do all that they can ahead of time to ensure they have the plans and the tools to keep both themselves and their families safe should severe weather strike.
Tim Troutman with the National Weather Service in Riverton urges residents to participate in this test and treat it as an official tornado warning.
On average, 10 tornadoes occur in Wyoming each year. Historically, two or three of those tornadoes will produce some type of property damage. But tornadoes are not the only severe thunderstorm hazard that Wyoming residents face; lightning, hail, and flash floods can be equally as devastating.
The test Tornado Warning for the state will take place on Wednesday, April 12, at 10:30 AM. Schools, health care and continuing-care facilities, and other large venues are encouraged to use the drill to test internal emergency procedures.
Troutman and Hahn agree that in order to know your risk, residents should never leave home without knowing the weather forecast.
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