National Weather Service United States Department of Commerce

Severe Weather Possible from the Central Plains to the Northeast; Building Heat in the West; Fire Weather Concerns for the Southwest

Severe thunderstorms will be possible from the central Plains to the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast on Monday. Hazardous heat will linger across the southern U.S. and build across the West through mid-week. Hot and dry conditions will fuel fire weather concerns for Interior Alaska and the Four Corners region through Monday. Read More >

The NOAA Weather Radio Routine Weekly Test will be conducted on Tuesday, March 3 at 10:00 am CST instead of Wednesday this week in recognition of Illinois Severe Weather Awareness Week.  This is done to coincide with testing of outdoor warning sirens done by many communities in Illinois on the first Tuesday of the month at 10:00 am CST.  The Weekly Test will return to its normal schedule next week.

Please take a moment to practice your severe weather emergency sheltering plan during the weekly test.  At the very least, answer this question – Where would I take shelter if a tornado were approaching me right now? The best shelters are in a basement, or in an interior room on the lowest floor of the building away from windows and exterior doors.

It is important to have multiple ways to receive hazardous weather information. Having a battery backup weather alert radio is one of the best ways.