Severe thunderstorms continued across Northeast Wisconsin on Monday, pushing the risk of flooding higher after strong nighttime storms brought heavy rain, gusty winds and nickel-sized hail to communities in the region. In Brown County, leaders used the start of Severe Weather Awareness Week to press residents to take severe weather seriously before the next round arrives.
Brown County Executive Troy Streckenbach on Monday formally proclaimed April 13-17 as Tornado & Severe Weather Awareness Week in the county, while county leaders held a news conference to share safety tips and reminders for severe weather. Brown County Emergency Management Director Daniel Kane said the point of the week is to make the public more informed and more resilient to severe weather threats, and Streckenbach said the effort is built around education, awareness and preparation for what a community should do when severe weather turns dangerous.
The timing matters because Monday, April 13, 2026, kicked off Severe Weather Awareness Week in Wisconsin just as severe weather season is beginning with warmer temperatures and active storms. Wisconsin averages 23 tornadoes a year, and the state recorded 39 confirmed tornadoes in 2025, a reminder that the threat is not theoretical even when storms come through quickly and at night.
That backdrop gives extra weight to the drills set for Thursday at 1:45 p.m. and 6:45 p.m., when statewide tornado exercises and NOAA weather radio tests are scheduled. Some communities may also sound outdoor warning sirens during the drills, giving residents a chance to check whether they can hear alerts and whether they would know what to do if a warning were issued during a real storm.
The tension for local emergency managers is that the same stretch of weather that can produce awareness-week reminders can also produce the kind of fast-moving storms that leave little time to react. For Brown County, the message this week is straightforward: the storms are already here, the flood threat is rising, and the next test of preparedness comes Thursday afternoon and evening.
