It is Severe Weather Awareness Week in Iowa and Washington County Emergency Management Coordinator Marissa Reisen encourages everyone to be weather aware. She explains the difference between a watch and a warning that can be issued by the National Weather Service, “So a watch means that conditions are favorable for severe weather to occur. A warning means that it is occurring or it is imminent to occur. So, my favorite analogy is the wicked witch of the west from the Wizard of Oz. A watch is when she’s still the cranky neighbor-lady riding on her bike, and the warning is when she’s legit the wicked witch of the west.”

Any time a severe thunderstorm warning or a tornado warning is issued in Washington County, KCII will stop normal programming and bring you up to the minute information on the storm with the KCII Severe Weather Action Team. And if the power goes out, KCII stays on air with our emergency backup generators.

Each day this week has a specific focus with Monday being severe thunderstorms, Tuesday is receiving warning information, Wednesday’s focus is tornadoes, Thursday is family preparedness, and Friday is flash floods. Reisen encourages people to discuss with their families, friends, and coworkers how they would respond in different storm situations.