ST PAUL, Minn. — Emergency officials across the Twin Cities are closely monitoring an incoming weather system, including the possibility of heavy storms, strong winds and tornadoes.

“I’m usually the guy who stands and says, ‘Don’t get up on the ledge, we’re gonna be just fine.’ This is shaping up a little different,” said Ramsey County Emergency Management and Homeland Security Director Judd Freed. “This is the first time since maybe 2011 that the Weather Service has given us this much lead time.”

Freed emphasized the importance of having an emergency plan and taking weather alerts seriously. “People have this tendency to overreact when they should relax, and underreact when they should be nervous. I don’t want anybody to be nervous, but I’d like them to pay attention tomorrow.”

Freed recommends keeping all electronic devices fully charged and writing down important phone numbers as a backup. He also suggests keeping your phone or a weather radio nearby to receive weather alerts from trusted sources and staying aware of outdoor warning sirens. “If you do hear those sirens tomorrow, stop what you’re doing if you’re outside—if you’re out in the park or wherever—start looking for some shelter and find out what’s going on.”

It’s also important to identify a space space in your home—ideally an interior room such as a lower-level bathroom or a basement away from windows.

For those who may be on the road during the storms, Freed offered specific guidance: “Stay in your car, don’t go running, don’t jump into a ditch, that’s not what we want you to do.” He advised drivers to take the nearest exit or seek shelter in a parking garage, and to never attempt to drive through flooded roads.

“Use this as the drill that you probably didn’t do on Severe Weather Awareness Day, right? Tomorrow is the possibility of it actually happening,” Freed said. “It would be foolish to not at least take it seriously enough to talk to your family [and] put together that plan.”