KANSAS CITY, Mo. — After one of the coldest February months on record, we’ve made it to March! That means we will transition into severe weather season over the next few weeks.

This week is deemed Severe Weather Preparedness week. It’s a good reminder of some of the things we encounter during the season.

The highlight of this week is the statewide tornado drills in Kansas and Missouri at 10 a.m. on Tuesday.

First part of this week: how do you receive your weather information? If you’re reading this, it’s us in some fashion. While we appreciate that, there will be other mediums that provide you with watches and warnings.

Many of these go out in a blanket area “Severe Thunderstorm Watch” or “Severe Thunderstorm Warning” among others. Do you know where you are on this map? It sounds like a silly question but many people don’t. Really. Know which county you’re in before we tell you what’s happening this season.

This map is blank right now, but many times, it will have one of the above colors. The most common one is a Severe Thunderstorm Watch. We can’t fit every city on this map, so that’s another reason it’s imperative you know where you’re at.

Start to think of these options above: are you prepared for any of these situations? Last year’s severe weather season was quiet. That doesn’t mean this one will be crazy by any means. But it is likely going to be more active than 2020.

We will have more information on every bullet point as each day of this week goes along.