BURLINGTON — If you don't know the difference between a tornado watch and a tornado warning, and you're still not certain why or when the emergency sirens are sounded, March is the month to learn.

        Emergency management officials from Boone, Kenton and Campbell counties will once again try educate the public on being prepared for the possibility of a tornado or severe thunderstorm hitting Northern Kentucky this spring and summer.

        March is officially Severe Storms Preparedness Month, designated by Gov. Paul Patton, and emergency management offices around the state urge residents to formulate plans they can follow in case of severe weather.

        “People need to have their memories refreshed about what they should do in case of severe weather,” Boone County Emergency Management Director Dan Maher said Thursday.

        Mr. Maher said one of the most common misunderstandings about severe weather is the difference between a watch and a warning.

        “It's a continuous thing,” he said. “We don't know how to get the information over to people except to keep repeating it every year.”

        For the record:

        • The National Weather Service issues a watch when conditions are favorable for a particular weather event in areas identified by the watch. When a watch is issued, the public should monitor weather radios and stay tuned to local media for information.

        • A warning is issued by the weather service when severe weather is imminent or already occurring in a warning area. When a warning is issued, all safety precautions and plans of action should be exercised immediately.

        • Sirens are activated for tornado warnings and severe thunderstorm warnings when the county is under a tornado watch, to alert those outdoors that severe weather is approaching.

        Emergency management officials urge everyone to have a NOAA Weather Radio in their home, schools and businesses, complete with battery backup, to receive severe weather alerts.

        NOAA, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, is the federal agency that oversees the weather service.

        Kenton County has a new two-way digital system in place for its sirens, Boone County is currently upgrading its system to two-way digital, and Campbell County will have a $500,000 digital system in place by the end of March.

        Campbell County Emergency Management Director Ken Knipper explained that the new systems permit county dispatchers to send a signal to a specific siren and receive a signal back indicating whether the system is functioning properly, without setting off the siren.

        Emergency management personnel from the three counties will staff an information booth at Florence Mall March 16-24.

        Mr. Maher said the public is also urged to participate in the Kentucky Statewide Tornado Drill on March 26, which will be announced on NOAA Weather Radio.

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