Many area communities will be participating in the Statewide Tornado Drill as part of Severe Weather Awareness Week.

A news release says the drill will take place at 10 a.m. on Tuesday, March 3.

The National Weather Service in Pleasant Hill will issue a test tornado warning as part of the drill. Local warning sirens, NOAA All-Hazards Weather Radio, and the Emergency Alert System (EAS) will be activated upon receipt of this warning to signal the start of the drill. The “TOR” code for EAS and NOAA Weather Radio will be used again this year to simulate what would occur in the event of an actual tornado warning.

Residents should treat the drill as if it were an actual tornado emergency. The purpose of the annual drill is to test everyone’s readiness for life-threatening severe weather events such as tornadoes, flash floods, large hail, and damaging winds.

According to a spokesperson at the Marshall Fire Department, several towns in Saline County will be participating. In no particular order, outdoor warning sirens in Marshall, Slater, Sweet Springs, Arrow Rock, Gilliam, Miami and Nelson are scheduled to be tested.

The tests are weather permitting.