Severe Weather Awareness Week begins Monday

Our area experiences the full range of severe weather, from thunderstorm hazards to tornadoes to flash flooding to severe thunderstorm wind and wind gusts.

That's why Winneshiek County Emergency Management, the Decorah Police Department and the Winneshiek County Sheriff's Office are stressing the importance of Severe Weather Awareness Week, which begins Monday in Iowa and runs through Friday.

The most visible--and audible--observance will be a tornado watch test on Wednesday morning.  The National Weather Service Office in La Crosse will issue a test tornado watch at 10:00 Wednesday morning, with the city/county Law Enforcement Center activating the outdoor warning siren at 10:15 a.m.  The sirens will be sounded for 3 to 5 minutes.

The Law Enforcement Center is asking that the public not call 9-1-1 during the test.

If there is severe weather on Wednesday, the test could be postponed until Thursday.