Mississippi's in the middle of a deadly tornado zone, and Gov. Phil Bryant has declared this week Severe Weather Preparedness Week statewide. The zone stretches roughly from Little Rock, Ark., to Birmingham, Ala.

National Weather Service meteorologist Steve Wilkinson tells The Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal that Mississippi is at or near the top of nearly all tornado statistics including total tornadoes, strong to violent tornadoes and long track tornadoes. He says the frequency of tornadoes rises rapidly from mid-February through April, so everyone's encouraged to be aware of forecasts.

According to the Mississippi Emergency Management Agency, every Mississippi resident should have one or more methods to receive severe weather warnings, such as a weather radio, a phone-based warning system or a mobile device app.