Severe thunderstorms may sound harmless compared to a tornado, but last year’s derecho proved otherwise across Iowa.

Iowa is observing Severe Weather Awareness Week, with Monday’s focus on severe thunderstorms, which include winds of over 50 miles per hour and can create hail, flash flooding, and tornadoes. Washington County Emergency Management Coordinator Marissa Reisen says these storms shouldn’t be taken lightly, “We have a new appreciation for severe thunderstorms here in Iowa out of the derecho hit last summer, because that was technically just a severe thunderstorm it was just a really, really big one that covered a really long space and had really, really extra high winds. So I think it kind of opened people’s eyes to the fact that severe thunderstorms can be damaging, just as much or more so than tornadoes if the conditions are right.”

Reisen says if you are under a thunderstorm warning to go indoors, unplug appliances, and pay attention to alerts and warnings. You can find a link to sign up for Washington County’s alert system here, and hear more about Severe Weather Awareness Week from Reisen in today’s Halcyon House Washington Page on air and at kciiradio.com.