People in Webster County may think that the current snowy weather is lousy, but much worse conditions are always possible.

That’s why Severe Weather Awareness Week is being observed statewide beginning Monday and continuing through Friday.

“While Iowa is no stranger to severe weather, this week is a great reminder and opportunity to educate yourself and your family on preparing for Mother Nature,” said Dylan Hagen, the Webster County emergency management coordinator.

“I encourage everyone to take a few minutes out of their day to participate in the daily topics being discussed,” he added.

Most days of the week will be dedicated to a particular type of severe weather. Monday is dedicated to lightning, Tuesday to tornadoes, Wednesday to preparedness, Thursday to hail and wind and Friday to floods.

At 10 a.m. Wednesday there will be a statewide tornado drill. The sirens will be activated, and they will sound different, according to Hagen.

When the sirens go off for the weekly tests on Saturday they are in what he called a wail mode. On Wednesday, he said, they will sound a steady tone for three minutes.

The drill will not be held if there is a potential for severe weather Wednesday.

He said beginning this year, the sirens will be activated for tornadoes and thunderstorms with golf ball sized hail and wind gusts of 70 mph or more.

In Webster County, the sirens are only activated in areas directly impacted by the tornado or severe thunderstorm.

“If the sirens are going off, it’s in your area,” Hagen said. “If your siren is going off it means severe weather is imminent and you need to take shelter.”

Webster County residents can sign up to get severe weather notices on their phones via Alert Iowa. To sign up, text WEBSTERIA to 67283.