On Wednesday, March 8, 2017, the National Weather Service will be conducting a statewide tornado drill, according to Steven Pfaff, with the National Weather Service office in Wilmington. The North Carolina and South Carolina Statewide Tornado Drills will be broadcast on NOAA Weather Radio and will create an opportunity for schools, agencies, businesses, and the public to test their tornado safety plans.
If there is actual severe weather occurring on the morning of March 8, 2017 the statewide tornado drills will be postponed. The alternate date for the drill is Friday March 10, 2017. The drill for SC and NC will be handled differently and here are the details for each drill:
SC Statewide Tornado Drill
Date: Wednesday March 8, 2017
Time: 9 AM EST
Product Issued: Test Tornado Warning
Notes: All NOAA Weather Radio models should automatically activate if they are setup and working properly.
-There will be no follow-up statements issued by the NWS to mark the end of the statewide drill. The drill will conclude when your group, school, business, or organization feels that you have adequately practiced your tornado shelter procedures.
-Also note, this drill will take the place of the usual weekly NOAA Weather Radio test that typically occurs around 11 AM EST.
NC Statewide Tornado Drill
Date: Wednesday March 8, 2017
Time: 9:30 AM EST
Product Issued: Required Monthly Test
Notes: Not all NOAA Weather Radio models will automatically activate with the RMT product. Since your NOAA Weather Radio may not sound an alarm at the time the RMT is issued you will want to do one of the following: a) manually turn on your NOAA Weather Radio and simply listen to the audio at 9:30 AM EST, or b) simply plan to start your tornado drill on your own at 9:30 AM EST.
-There will be no follow-up statements issued by the NWS to mark the end of the statewide drill. The drill will conclude when your group, school, business, or organization feels that you have adequately practiced your tornado shelter procedures.
-Also note, this drill will take the place of the usual weekly NOAA Weather Radio test that typically occurs around 11 AM EST.