WELDON SPRING, Mo. – This time of year can be difficult when it comes to the weather, as we start feeling the volatility of the spring season. 

This week is Severe Weather Preparedness Week at the National Weather Service.

The National Weather Service will be posting information on their website and social media platforms daily. 

Monday’s theme is about having a weather plan. Tuesday is lightning safety, whereas Wednesday is the statewide tornado drill for Missouri. Thursday is dedicated to hail and wind safety, while Friday surrounds flood safety.

“We always say in weather have more than one way to get information. So I’m sure you have your favorite weather app. But you need something outside of that,” said Kevin Deitsch, the Warning Coordination meteorologist with the National Weather Service.

A weather radio is a great tool for the “what-if” scenario of if cell service is lost. 

However, the wireless emergency alert system is one of the best tools available. It will alert you if you’re within a tornado warning or high-end severe thunderstorm warning of 80 miles per hour winds or baseball-sized hail.

“Your phone will go off. And the nice thing is if you’re driving, if you drive into that storm, your phone will go off,” Deitsch said. “It’s a really good way to get to people. It doesn’t rely on an app; it doesn’t rely on anything other than your phone hitting that polygon and it will alert you automatically.”

Outdoor sirens will also sound in those situations, but they’re for warning people indoors.

“We call them outdoor warning sirens for a reason,” Deitsch said. “They are meant to be heard outdoors and alerting people that are outside to come in. But they’re not a thing to rely on when you’re inside, especially at night when you’re trying to sleep.”   

And when severe weather threatens, not only is the FOX 2 Weather team monitoring the situation but the station has skilled meteorologists with the national weather service to issue those warnings

“We’ve got the radar behind us. That’s really such an important tool for us to get the warnings out,” Deitsch said.