The spring warmup is on, and emergency officials and meteorologists in Tennessee this week have been raising awareness of the coming severe weather season, when storms and tornadoes become more likely.
Tennessee’s Severe Weather Awareness Week this year started Sunday and ends Saturday, and the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency and National Weather Service are asking people to make severe weather planning a priority.
The year has already been warmer and wetter than usual, according to the Tennessee Climate Office in Johnson City.
(READ MORE: How to stay safe during severe weather in the Chattanooga area)
It was a warm and wet January across the state, with many record highs set and the complete elimination of drought conditions by the middle of the month, according to a monthly report by the Tennessee Climate Office’s director, Andrew Joyner, and assistant director, William Tollefson.