Spring is my favorite season of the year. It's warm enough to get by wearing shorts and a t-shirt during the day and cool enough in the evening that you can get by with a sweatshirt or light jacket to keep the chill off. Plus, as someone who likes to hit a golf course as much as I can, Spring provides the perfect weather where I can go shank several shots and wonder why I keep playing that silly game without breaking a sweat. But, as great as Spring is, as we know all too well here in Indiana, it has its drawbacks. Specifically, the increased risk of severe weather.

With that increased risk getting closer by the day, the National Weather Service in Paducah is doing its part to help us prepare for any potentially nasty days. That includes testing its own equipment and giving us an idea of what it will sound like in the event dangerous weather is headed our way.

National Weather Service Issuing Test Tornado Warning on March 14th

Ryan O'Bryan
Ryan O'Bryan
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On Tuesday, March 14th at approximately 9:15 AM Central Time, the National Weather Service will broadcast a live tornado warning through the Emergency Alert System on multiple radio stations, including ours, that will say a tornado has been spotted in our area. The message will note that it is only a test, but it will also instruct you to seek shelter immediately. Of course, there's a chance it will be a perfectly sunny day without a single cloud in the sky when the alert is issued so it may seem odd, but remember the point is for you to hear what the message will sound like and what it will say in the event an actual tornado is spotted in your area during a severe weather event and needs to be taken seriously.

As a participating station, we will have no control over the message and cannot stop it from happening. Not that we'd want to, of course. The whole point is alert you to a dangerous situation so you can get to a safe space as quickly as possible.

The Difference Between a Severe Weather Watch and a Warning

This time of year is also a good time to get a refresher on the different terminology forecasters will use when the chance for severe weather comes around. Specifically, the difference between a Severe Thunderstorm/Flood/Tornado Watch and a Warning. This video from the NOAA Weather Partners YouTube Channel explains both perfectly and provides information on how you need to prepare for either.

As always, any time there's a severe weather threat that requires you to know the most up-to-date information as quickly as possible, we will simulcast coverage from our media partners at ABC 25.

[Source: National Weather Service / NOAA Weather Partners on YouTube]

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