Spring Severe Weather Preparedness Week 2021

PEARL, Miss. (MEMA) – Governor Tate Reeves has declared February 15-19, 2021 as Spring Severe Weather Preparedness Week in Mississippi.

Eighty-two tornadoes were confirmed during 2020 in Mississippi, which was the fifth most on record. April was the most active month last year with a total of 24 confirmed tornadoes, one of which set a record as the third widest tornado in U.S. history.

It’s important to remember that severe weather extends far beyond just tornadoes. Damaging wind, hail, flooding and lightning are also dangerous hazards associated with severe weather.

“The spring is historically the most active time of the year for severe weather in Mississippi and last year was a testament to that statement with three major events in the month of April alone. Preparedness is key when it comes to severe weather because federal assistance is not guaranteed with every disaster. We urge residents to purchase homeowner’s insurance and review severe weather preparedness and safety tips,” says MEMA Executive Director Stephen McCraney.

The Mississippi Emergency Management Agency is partnering with the National Weather Service, the Mississippi Insurance Department and the American Red Cross to highlight different types of severe weather and ways to prepare for the upcoming spring severe weather season.

Here is the list of this year’s featured topics:

Every day throughout the week, MEMA will post short videos on each of these topics. These videos will be posted on MEMA’s Facebook and Twitter pages as well as MEMA’s YouTube page. Your local National Weather Service offices will also share additional severe weather information. Four National Weather Service offices cover Mississippi: Jackson, Memphis, New Orleans and Mobile.

More severe weather preparedness tips can be found on our website: www.msema.org.

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