DES MOINES, Iowa -- It's Severe Weather Awareness Week in Iowa, and the National Weather Service says that awareness starts with knowing the difference between a watch and a warning.
"A watch is simply when conditions are favorable for severe weather to occur. A warning means it's been spotted, and we expect folks to take action based on that warning," says National Weather Service meteorologist Chad Hahn.
He says it's also important to have a plan on what to do when those severe thunderstorm or tornado warnings are issued.
As for getting those watches and warnings, Hahn says it's a good idea to have more than one trusted source for severe weather information--don't rely just on your phone.
"Have multiple ways to receive warnings. We need to have redundancy built into the system so that nothing slips through the cracks and folks continue to get all the warnings" he says.
When it comes to the dangers posed by severe thunderstorm and tornado season, Hahn says flash flooding kills more people every year than any other severe weather phenomenon.
"The majority of deaths occur in cars. You can imagine people driving into flood waters on the roadway they drove on maybe earlier that day. They assumed it was still good, but maybe it was washed out underneath the road and they couldn't see it. Never, ever, drive through flooded roadways," Hahn says.
The National Weather Service will run a tornado warning drill on Wednesday as part of Severe Weather Awareness Week.