MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) — With our early tornado comes an early warning about readiness.

“Weather is unpredictable. We always have to be ready,” said Kris Eide, the state commissioner of Homeland Security and Emergency Management.

Eide said Monday night’s tornado in Elysian, Minn., a small town in southeastern Minnesota, is a reminder that severe weather can happen this early in the year.

NewsRadio 830 WCCO’s Steve Murphy Reports

The EF-0 twister is the second earliest tornado ever recorded in Minnesota. Eide said we should act as though the tornado season is already underway.

“Talk to the family about what you would do in case a storm hit,” Eide said.

It’s just one more aspect of the early spring. Last year’s Severe Weather Awareness Week was in the middle of April.