Tornado season is starting and emergency preparedness officials throughout the state are gearing up to run a test, Tuesday afternoon, to make sure Missourians are as ready as they can be for severe weather.

Susie Stonner with the State Emergency Management Agency says SEMA has been taking part in the Statewide Severe Weather Tornado Drill , which is run through the National Weather Service , for more than three decades, as a way of preparing citizens for tornado season.

Stonner points out that while Missouri’s traditional tornado season runs from late March through early Summer, one tornado already hit the state in February, costing a life and causing considerable damage in Howell County in south-central Missouri. In the event of real severe weather, the practice run will be postponed until Thursday.

Download/Listen: Steve Walsh report (:60 MP3)