Spring storm preparation
Spring in Minnesota often brings strong thunderstorms, winds, and even tornados. Be sure you’re prepared for storms with these weather tips.
Posted by Lauren Dublin on March 20, 2023
Spring in Minnesota often brings strong thunderstorms, winds, and even tornados. Be sure you’re prepared for storms with these weather tips.
Trim and prune trees. Healthy trees are less likely to lose branches in a storm, causing damage to power lines. WH Tree Services offers tree trimming and shaping; get a quote today.
Clean up the back yard. Loose objects like playground balls, bikes, patio furniture, and even dog toys can become projectiles in strong wind. Move them inside to the shed or garage before storms hit.
Be prepared for outages. Consider putting together a storm kit, which should include at least one gallon of water per person, nonperishable food, batteries, and a first aid kit. Find a more complete list at Ready.gov.
Stay away from downed power lines. Downed power lines can energize the ground up to 35 feet away, and you should always assume there is electricity running through them. If you drive onto a power line or one falls on your vehicle, stay in your vehicle until first responders tell you it is safe to get out. If you must get out of the vehicle, jump as far away from it as you can, then shuffle forward until you are far away from the line.
Sign up for outage alerts. Register for power outage alerts to stay aware of outages and estimated restoration times for your area. When there is an outage, you can also view Wright-Hennepin (WH)’s outage map at outage.whe.org. Keep an eye on our social media for regular updates during large outages as well.
