The end of March is just around the corner, signaling the beginning of the tornado season.

One problem about tornado season is there is no way of predicting what this year’s weather pattern will look like, according to Doug Speheger National Weather Center meteorologist.

“We really can’t tell if it will be an active season or not,” said Speheger. “If the weather pattern is as active as it was this winter, then it could be an active tornado season.”

Another problem with tornadoes, according to Speheger, is there is no set time frame between the sounding of a tornado siren and when the tornado reaches the area. This makes knowing when to take shelter difficult.

“The best thing to do is to react quickly if the tornado sirens are sounded, because there may be times where little warning is available,” Speheger said.

According to the National Weather Center Web site, a tornado occurred on May 13, 2009, near the west edge of Stanley Draper Lake. Industrial engineering sophomore Christie Hopson remembers the tornado well.

“I was in the dorms for the tornado ... and it was a rather interesting experience,” Hopson said. “Some people were freaking out, others were trying to calm them down, some were playing games and we were all constantly checking the weather radar.”

Hopson now lives off campus, and like many off-campus students, she does not know the proper safety precautions for a tornado.

“I live off campus now, and I honestly wouldn’t know what to do if a tornado came,” Hopson said. “I was much more prepared last year, living in the dorms where they continually warned us what to do in the case of a tornado.”

The proper safety precautions for a tornado, according to Speheger, are Get In, Get Down and Cover Up. These three rules are important to remember whether you live off campus or on campus.

According to Housing and Food spokeswoman Lauren Royston, Housing and Food residents should already be aware of safety precautions.

“At first floor meetings conducted by trained resident advisers, residents are briefed on evacuation locations and procedures for their community,” Royston said.

If Housing and Food residents are not aware of the proper safety precautions for their specific building they may find them posted in elevator lobbies or hallway corridors, Royston said.

Various Web sites provide tornado safety information. The National Weather Service guidelines may be found at http://www.srh.noaa.gov/oun/?n=safety-severe-safetyplan and the OU Police Department guidelines can be found at http://www.ou.edu/oupd/tornado.htm.