{"id":27492,"date":"2023-04-10T09:29:51","date_gmt":"2023-04-10T13:29:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/mdem\/?p=27492"},"modified":"2023-04-10T09:29:51","modified_gmt":"2023-04-10T13:29:51","slug":"great-maryland-twister-test-set-for-wednesday-april-12-at-10-a-m","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/mdem\/2023\/04\/10\/great-maryland-twister-test-set-for-wednesday-april-12-at-10-a-m\/","title":{"rendered":"Great Maryland Twister Test Set For Wednesday, April 12 at 10 a.m. \u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u00a0MDEM, NWS Encourage Marylanders to Practice What To Do During a Tornado Warning; Alert Will Broadcast Over NOAA Weather Radios As Part of Severe Storms Awareness Week<\/em><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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\"GreatREISTERSTOWN, MD (April 10, 2023) \u2014\u00a0<\/strong>Maryland residents are invited to participate in the Great Maryland Twister Test on Wednesday, April 12, and practice what to do in case the National Weather Service (NWS) issues a tornado warning. The 10 a.m. drill is being coordinated by the Maryland Department of Emergency Management (MDEM), NWS, and other partners as part of the 2023\u00a0Maryland Severe Storms Awareness Week<\/em><\/strong>, April 10-16, 2023.<\/p>\n

At 10 a.m. Wednesday, April 12, the NWS will issue a statement over National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Weather Radios about the tornado drill.\u00a0 Be aware, while an EAS test code will precede this message, that Required Monthly Test (RMT) code may not trigger some weather radios. This test code will also not trigger Wireless Emergency Alerts over cell phones. Schools, businesses, community groups, and individuals can practice what to do when a tornado warning is issued by NWS. While everyone is encouraged to participate in the drill Wednesday at 10 a.m., you can practice at other times too. Families, for example, might want to practice when everyone is at home.<\/p>\n

\u201cTornadoes strike with little or no warning, so knowing how to quickly move to safety is essential,\u201d said MDEM Secretary Russ Strickland. \u201cWhether you are in school, at work, or at home, knowing how to receive a warning and the safest place to go during a tornado warning is vital.\u201d<\/p>\n

Tornadoes happen almost every year in Maryland – sometimes even violent and deadly ones. Already this year, a small tornado damaged several buildings and knocked down utility poles and trees in Cecil County on April 1. Fortunately, there were no injuries reported. However, since 2000, fatalities have been reported from tornadoes in LaPlata (Charles County), College Park (Prince George\u2019s County), and Baltimore City.<\/p>\n

Tornadoes are violently rotating columns of air that extend from a thunderstorm to the ground. Tornadoes can destroy buildings, flip cars, and create deadly flying debris.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

While most common in our warm season in the afternoons and evenings, tornadoes can happen anytime and anywhere in Maryland when conditions are right. They bring intense, damaging winds that are often 80-110 miles per hour, and sometimes devastating winds as great as 150-200 mph that can destroy homes. These rotating funnel clouds that extend to the ground create a path of damage often as wide as a football field, and sometimes up to a mile wide.<\/p>\n

If you are under a tornado or severe weather warning:<\/p>\n