08-04-2025
Preparing for severe weather season
SIOUX FALLS, S.D (KELO)– It's Severe Weather Awareness Week in South Dakota and Minnesota.
From strong thunderstorms to derechos to tornadoes, several types of severe weather can hit KELOLAND.
Minnehaha County Emergency Manager Jason Gearman says families should come up with a plan in case severe weather is on the horizon.
'Where you're going to go in your house, under a stairwell, stay away from windows. Talk to your family about what's going to happen if maybe kids are home alone, what their plans are going to be,' Gearman said.
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It's a conversation businesses should also be having.
'You've got a responsibility to deal with your employees and keep them safe, where's the safest place to go? Do you have designated areas?' Gearman said.
While outdoor sirens in the Sioux Falls area warn people of tornadoes and destructive severe thunderstorms, those sirens are meant to be heard outdoors.
Be sure you have other ways of getting notified about incoming dangerous weather, such as your local news or your cell phone.
'Make sure those alerts are turned on,' Gearman said.
Sioux Falls and Minnehaha County will be holding a tornado drill on Wednesday.
The sirens will go off at 10:15 AM.
For more information about taking shelter during severe weather, click here.
This is also a good time to download the KELOLAND Storm Tracker app to your smart devices.
You can watch the radar and receive alerts for watches and warnings.
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