Picture you have all the ingredients to bake brownies set out on your kitchen counter. The brownies are not yet there, but there is the potential, much like the makings of severe weather.

This is Severe Weather Awareness Week in Iowa, and today’s emphasis is on weather warnings that are issued during thunderstorms and tornadoes. Adair and Guthrie County Emergency Management Coordinator Bob Kempf says a tornado or severe thunderstorm watch is typically issued several hours before a storm could affect a several county area. A warning means means signs of a severe thunderstorm or tornado have been sighted or indicated by weather radar. When a warning is issued, Kempf urges people to take shelter on the lowest floor of a sturdy building and stay away from windows. You can hear more about severe weather from Kempf in today’s Let’s Talk Guthrie County program on air and online at raccoonvalleyradio.com.