Two statewide tornado drills planned for Thursday in Minnesota

There’s a good chance you’ll hear tornado sirens sound twice Thursday in Minnesota. But don’t worry, it’s just a drill.

The two annual tornado drills come amid Severe Weather Awareness Week in Minnesota.

The National Weather Service and emergency management officials want to get residents thinking about where they can safely shelter during severe weather — before widespread severe storms hit the region in the coming months.

Tornado warning sirens are scheduled to sound first at 1:45 p.m. — that’ll be a drill aimed specifically at people in schools and businesses.

The tornado sirens are set to sound again at 6:45 p.m. The goal of the second drill is to reach people when they’re at home, along with second-shift workers.

Minnesota averages more than two dozen tornadoes each year.

Wisconsin’s statewide tornado drills originally were scheduled for Thursday, too — but there’s a chance for actual severe weather in parts of the state, so the drills were postponed until Friday. They’ll also take place at 1:45 p.m. and 6:45 p.m.

• Spotty rain and thunder into Thursday evening
• Fall weather on its way, just in time for the autumnal equinox
• Scattered rain and thunder, slight severe risk