The 41st annual Missouri Severe Weather Drill is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. Tuesday. At that time, all National Weather Service offices serving Missouri will send out a test tornado warning.
The Federal Communication Commission has granted a waiver for the state to use the Emergency Alert System (EAS) code for a tornado warning; TOR. Thus, the warning will trigger all warning systems that are programmed to activate on the reception of the TOR code. The test tornado warning will be clearly marked as a test.
The NWS said it will do everything possible to conduct the drill on March 3. However, if widespread weather conditions exist across the state that would make it inappropriate to conduct the drill, it will be postponed until Thursday, March 5, also at 1:30 p.m.
Officials said the drill offers an excellent time for everybody to test their weather warning receiving and dissemination capabilities. It is better to discover and fix problems in the system now than have it fail during a real tornado event. The drill also offers an opportunity for everyone, including schools, businesses, hospitals, and people in their homes, to test their severe weather plans. Having a thorough knowledge of your severe weather procedures and practicing them can be the difference between life and death in a real tornado situation.