Severe Weather Awareness Week is April 7- 11, 2025. Roseville Fire Chief and Emergency Manager David Brosnahan said it’s the perfect time for families to have the talk about their household’s emergency plan.
It's also a great time to build an emergency preparedness kit.
“While it can feel a little cliche, it is important for families to have the conversation to cover the basics. It’s as simple as asking, “Does everyone know where to go and what to do when the sirens sound?” Brosnahan said.
Severe Weather Awareness Week, a collaboration between the state of Minnesota and the National Weather Service, is designed to refresh, remind and educate the public about the seasonal threats from severe weather. That includes thunderstorms, lightning, hail, straight-line winds, tornadoes, flooding, and extreme heat.
Chief Brosnahan shares a few ways residents can be prepared for severe weather.
Make a plan
We have conversations with kids and families all the time about fire safety and having a meeting place outside their home if a fire emergency happens. The same could be said for severe weather. Please don’t assume your children know what to do and where to go. Talk it out. Make sure your family members understand what the sirens mean, where to seek shelter in your home, and where emergency supplies are stored.
Prepare for power outages
It’s important for families to know HOW to get severe weather information. It’s also crucial folks think about how to get weather updates or information when their power is out and you can’t simply turn on the TV.
Reliable sources of information include the National Weather Service app or a battery-powered weather radio.
Battery powered radios and cell phone charging banks might be important to put into a family emergency weather bin along with potable water and non-perishable food. While not highly likely, there are situations that you may have to be prepared to be in your basement or most central room of your residence without power for several hours.
Know the drill 
On Thursday, April 10, sirens will sound at 1:45 p.m. and 6:45 p.m. for two statewide tornado drills.
In Roseville, our sirens are operated by Ramsey County Emergency Communications. When the outdoor warning sirens sound, it means that you are in danger outside. You need to get to shelter.
Ramsey County sirens are sounded for all tornado warnings and for severe thunderstorms with wind speeds of 70 or more miles per hour. Sirens sound for three minutes and then automatically turn off to preserve their batteries. If they sound again that means there is a new danger such as a second tornado warning. Sirens are never sounded for an "all clear." You must listen to the radio or TV to find out if it is safe outside.
The siren system is capable of sounding individual sirens in areas covered by a National Weather Service warning. For an example, if severe weather is just clipping the northwestern end of Roseville, they can set it up that the 3-4 sirens in that area sound versus activating all of the sirens.
Severe Weather Facts
- Minnesota experiences an average of 46 tornadoes per year, but the number fluctuates dramatically. In 2010, a record of 113 struck our state.
- Thunderstorms can produce straight-line winds that exceed 100 miles per hour. For this reason, you should treat severe thunderstorms just as you would tornadoes.
- Lightning kills an average of 43 Americans each year. Hundreds more are severely injured.
- Nationally, floods claim nearly 200 lives each year, forcing 300,000 people from their homes, and result in property damage in excess of $2 billion.
More information about Severe Weather Awareness Week.