There will be a statewide tornado drill this morning (Wednesday) as part of Severe Weather Awareness Week in Iowa. Tornadoes are most likely to form during the late afternoon and early evening hours during the months of April, May, and June. National Weather Service warning coordinator Jeff Johnson says tornadoes can spawn with very little warning when the atmospheric conditions are just right.Johnson says less than 10-percent of thunderstorms have the capability to create tornadoes. Johnson says many storms produce multiple tornadoes.He says when the atmospheric conditions are favorable, they have what’re called outbreaks of tornadoes. The statewide tornado drill will start at 10 o’clock this morning (Wednesday) with a test tornado watch, followed shortly by a test tornado warning. Johnson says it’s a good reminder for emergency managers and the general public to get ready for severe weather season. He says its a good time to test out systems for warnings and make sure everyone knows what to do in the case of a tornado. Sixty-two Iowans have been killed and another 11-hundred-35 have been injured as the result of a tornado since 1960, but the state has been very fortunate in the last few years. In 2002 and 2003, there were 59 confirmed tornadoes, but none of those caused an injury or death. That was after 105 tornadoes touched down in 2001, killing two and injuring 12.
