Spring Severe Weather Awareness Week Kicks Off March 1

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The National Weather Service in Shreveport has designated the week of March 1st as Spring Severe Weather Awareness Week, a safety campaign to help residents in the Four State Area of Southeast Oklahoma, Southwest Arkansas, East Texas, and Northern Louisiana prepare for the upcoming severe weather season. The week will feature daily safety topics, including making a plan, flash flooding, lightning safety, tornado preparedness, severe thunderstorm risks, weather alerts, and mobile home safety.

Why it matters

The Four State Area experienced an active severe weather season in 2025, with 35 tornadoes recorded along with numerous events of large hail, damaging winds, and flash flooding. This awareness week aims to ensure residents are ready for the peak of severe weather season by providing critical safety information and encouraging them to test their emergency plans.

The details

During Spring Severe Weather Awareness Week, the National Weather Service will highlight a different severe weather safety topic each day, including making an emergency plan, flash flood risks, lightning safety, tornado preparedness, severe thunderstorm hazards, understanding weather alerts, and mobile home safety. The week will also feature a tornado drill on Wednesday, March 4th at 9:15 a.m., which will be broadcast over NOAA Weather Radio. Residents are encouraged to use this drill to practice their tornado sheltering procedures.

• 2025 saw 35 tornadoes and numerous severe weather events in the Four State Area.
• Spring Severe Weather Awareness Week will be held March 1-7, 2026.
• The tornado drill will take place on Wednesday, March 4th at 9:15 a.m.

What’s next

Residents are encouraged to use the tornado drill on March 4th to test their emergency plans and ensure they know where to shelter in the event of severe weather.