This is Tornado Safety Week, with a statewide Tornado Drill held on Wednesday, March 6.

Here you can find many Tornado Facts, Safety Tips & Insurance Information

Tornado Facts

As the severe weather season approaches, take some time during Severe Weather Safety Awareness Week to make a safety plan for your family, friends, neighbors and co-workers. Planning ahead will lower the chance of injury or death in the event severe weather strikes.

Tornadoes develop from severe thunderstorms. They are usually preceded by very heavy rain and/or large hail. A thunderstorm accompanied by hail indicates that the storm has large amounts of energy and may be severe. In general, the larger the hailstones, the more potential there is for damaging winds and/or tornadoes.

The most violent tornadoes are capable of tremendous destruction with wind speeds of 250 mph or more. Damage paths have exceeded the width of one mile and 50 miles long. Tornadoes generally move from southwest to northeast, but have also been recorded traveling in any direction. The forward speed of a tornado varies from 30 mph to 70 mph.

Peak tornado season in Ohio is generally April through July, and they usually occur between 2 p.m. and 10 p.m. Last year, though, an EF1 tornado occurred in Fairfield County at 6 in the morning - which proves that tornadoes can happen at any time, during any season.

Additional info: http://www.weathersafety.ohio.gov/TornadoFacts.aspx

From: Ohio Committee for Severe Weather Awareness