One month before Charleston may experience the gusty effects of a tornado, the Illinois Emergency Management Agency is sponsoring a statewide tornado drill.

This week is being observed as severe weather preparedness week so that residents of Illinois can be more informed on what to do during a tornado or other severe weather emergencies.

The Illinois Emergency Management Agency began the Surviving Tornadoes through Awareness and Reaction program last April to provide information to schools, hospitals, day cares, hospitals and residents of manufactured homes to reduce the number of fatalities as a result of tornadoes, a press release said.

Illinois has the highest number of fatalities related to tornadoes in the United States, said Dalias Price, local weather observer.

The Illinois Emergency Management Agency is initiating a drill at 10 a.m. on Tuesday, coinciding with the regular monthly tests of outdoor warning sirens, to allow any interested parties to test the operation of their tornado preparedness plan, a press release said.

The normal tornado season for central Illinois is April and May, Price said. The temperature needs to be at least 70 degrees before a tornado can be well developed, and it is unlikely that temperatures will get into the 70s during March.

The worst tornado ever recorded in Coles County was in 1917 when hundreds of people in Mattoon and Charleston were killed during a severe tornado, Price said.

“The damage that (tornadoes) do is phenomenal,” Price said.

Tornado season has already struck in the states of Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana, where they are already experiencing spring weather.

However, central Illinois is supposed to get a projected 3″ of snow during the month of March and no unusually warm temperatures, Price said.

“There is no indication yet that spring will come early,” Price said.