Tornado warning. Where you go, right now.
A watch means conditions are forming. A warning means one is happening — move now, decide later.
Do this now
- Lowest floor, smallest interior room — basement if you have one; otherwise a bathroom, closet, or hallway with no windows.
- Put walls between you and outside. The more, the better.
- Cover heads — bike helmets if they're grabbable, arms if not. Pull a mattress or heavy blankets over everyone.
- Put on sturdy shoes. The after is all broken glass.
- In a mobile home: leave. Go to a sturdy building or storm shelter — a mobile home is not survivable shelter in a direct hit.
The two mistakes that kill
Windows: people watch. Flying debris moving at highway speed is the actual weapon of a tornado, and glass is where it comes through. Interior room, no windows, period.
Cars and overpasses: a vehicle is one of the worst places in a tornado, and sheltering under an overpass is worse than open ground — the wind accelerates through it. If you're driving and the tornado is distant, drive at right angles to its path toward sturdy shelter. If it's close, abandon the car for a ditch or low ground, flat, hands over head.
While you wait it out
Phones on, volume up — Wireless Emergency Alerts and NOAA weather radio are the two channels that don't need an app. Keep shoes on until you've seen the yard in daylight.
Do not
- Don't open windows to "equalize pressure" — that's a myth that wastes your seconds.
- Don't shelter under a highway overpass.
- Don't stay in a mobile home, even tied down.
- Don't go outside to look. The debris arrives before the funnel does.
Common questions
What's the difference between a tornado watch and a warning?
A watch means conditions could produce tornadoes — stay alert. A warning means one has been spotted or radar-indicated — take shelter immediately.
Where do I go if I have no basement?
The smallest interior room on the lowest floor — bathroom, closet, or interior hallway — away from windows, with as many walls between you and outside as possible.
Is a car safe in a tornado?
No. If the tornado is far, drive at right angles to its path toward shelter; if it's close, leave the car and lie flat in a ditch, hands over your head. Never shelter under an overpass.
Sources — official guidance
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