The drills will start with test tornado warnings issued by Weather Service offices serving Indiana, triggering programmed electronic devices and activation of many outdoor warning sirens.

Holiday traveling between Thanksgiving and New Year's causes blood donations to drop off around this time every year. On top of that, severe weather has forced the cancellation of 300 blood drives nationwide since January 11, including 23 in southern Indiana.

The affected counties all lie along the Ohio River between Evansville and the Louisville, Kentucky, metropolitan area.

Electric utilities reported at least 25,000 outages Tuesday morning scattered across the northern third of the state, a day after freezing rain and high winds took down trees and power lines.

Indianapolis Mayor Greg Ballard signed an emergency declaration Tuesday that clears the way for Department of Public Works to close streets and access private property in order to clean up storm debris.

Severe storms making their way through Indiana Monday ushered in damaging winds and heavy rains, leaving thousands in the Indianapolis area without power. That's in addition to rain over the last week that's saturated much of the state.

In Marion County, the storms downed trees and disrupted power to an estimated 35,000 IPL customers, mostly on the west side of Indianapolis.