267
NOUS42 KILM 041100
PNSILM
PUBLIC INFORMATION STATEMENT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WILMINGTON NC
600 AM EST WED MAR 4 2026
...THE ANNUAL STATEWIDE TORNADO DRILL WILL OCCUR TODAY AT 9:30 AM
EST...
AS A PART OF NORTH CAROLINA’S SEVERE WEATHER AWARENESS WEEK, TODAY
AT 9:30 AM EST, THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN COOPERATION WITH
LOCAL BROADCASTERS WILL CONDUCT THE ANNUAL STATEWIDE TORNADO DRILL
IN THE FORM OF A REQUIRED MONTHLY TEST ON ALL NOAA WEATHER RADIO AND
PUBLIC ALERT SYSTEMS. THE ALARM TEST WILL ACTIVATE THE STATE
EMERGENCY ALERT SYSTEM AND BE CARRIED BY LOCAL RADIO BROADCASTERS.
THIS WILL ALLOW SCHOOLS, BUSINESS, AND RESIDENTS THE OPPORTUNITY TO
PRACTICE THEIR TORNADO DRILLS AND SAFETY PLANS. EVERY SCHOOL,
BUSINESS, WORKPLACE, AND FAMILY ACROSS THE STATE ARE STRONGLY
ENCOURAGED TO PARTICIPATE IN THE STATEWIDE TORNADO DRILL.
HERE ARE A COUPLE KEY THINGS TO REMEMBER ABOUT TODAY’S STATEWIDE
TORNADO DRILL:
THE DRILL WILL BE BROADCAST ON NOAA WEATHER RADIO AND THE EMERGENCY
ALERT SYSTEM VIA THE REQUIRED MONTHLY TEST (RMT). THERE WILL NOT BE
AN ACTUAL TORNADO WARNING ISSUED.
FOR NORTH CAROLINA COUNTIES, THIS DRILL AND RMT WILL TAKE THE PLACE
OF THE USUAL WEEKLY NOAA WEATHER RADIO ALERT TEST (RWT). THAT IS,
THERE WILL NOT BE A WEEKLY RADIO TEST DONE BETWEEN 11 AM AND NOON
TODAY.
FOR SOUTH CAROLINA COUNTIES, THE WEEKLY RADIO TEST WILL BE
CONDUCTED AT IT'S NORMAL TIME BETWEEN 11 AM AN NOON.
SOME NOAA WEATHER RADIO RECEIVERS DO NOT SOUND AN AUDIBLE ALERT FOR
THE RMT PRODUCT; INSTEAD, THEY MAY HAVE A BLINKING LIGHT ON THE
DISPLAY TO INDICATE THAT AN RMT WAS RECEIVED. AS SUCH, WHEN THE RMT
FOR THE STATEWIDE TORNADO DRILL IS INITIATED AT 9:30 AM EST THIS
MORNING, THERE IS A GOOD CHANCE THAT YOUR NOAA WEATHER RADIO MAY NOT
SOUND AN ALARM.
SINCE YOUR NOAA WEATHER RADIO MAY NOT SOUND AN ALARM AT THE TIME THE
RMT IS ISSUED, YOU WILL WANT TO DO ONE OF THE FOLLOWING: MANUALLY
TURN ON YOUR NOAA WEATHER RADIO RECEIVER FIVE MINUTES BEFORE THE
START OF THE DRILL, AND SIMPLY LISTEN TO THE AUDIO BROADCAST TO HEAR
WHEN THE RMT IS ISSUED, WHICH WILL MARK THE BEGINNING OF THE
STATEWIDE TORNADO DRILL; OR SIMPLY PLAN TO START YOUR TORNADO DRILL
ON YOUR OWN AT 9:30 AM.
THERE WILL BE NO FOLLOW-UP STATEMENTS ISSUED BY THE NWS TO MARK THE
END OF THE STATEWIDE TORNADO DRILL. IT WILL SIMPLY BE OVER WHEN YOUR
GROUP, SCHOOL, BUSINESS, ORGANIZATION, OR FAMILY FEELS THAT YOU HAVE
ADEQUATELY PRACTICED YOUR TORNADO SHELTER PROCEDURES.
FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE STATEWIDE TORNADO DRILL, AND NORTH
CAROLINA'S SEVERE WEATHER AWARENESS WEEK ACTIVITIES, PLEASE VISIT
THE FOLLOWING WEB SITE: HTTPS://WWW.WEATHER.GOV/ILM/SEVEREWEATHERNC
CLICK HERE TO GO TO PREVIOUS BULLETINS.
Main Text Page