Tornado Watch vs Tornado Warning
Tornadoes are mighty storms that can wreak havoc and devastation in just seconds. They’re capable of tossing regular cars through the air like little matchbox cars, taking a single strand or straw of hay and transforming it into a sharper blade than the sharpest samurai sword.
The trail of destruction that they leave behind can leave countless homes and businesses utterly devastated in its aftermath. Let’s talk about a tornado watch vs a tornado warning.
Tornado Watch vs Tornado Warning
Twisters are responsible for taking the lives of an average of 60 Americans every single year. 2024 is proving to be quite a different story, and unfortunately, not a good one. Even as early as June of this year, tornadoes had already claimed the lives of 77 people in the United States, making it the deadliest tornado outbreak in nearly a decade. This is an interesting chart about tornadoes: NOAA.
Even if you don’t live in a tornado hotspot, you must not take this information lightly. Tornadoes can pop up just about anywhere across the country.
It would be best to be prepared and know when and where to seek shelter. If you’re unsure what the difference is between a tornado watch and a warning, please continue reading. Here’s everything that you need to know.
Tornado Watch
The skies in your neighborhood are growing darker, and the clouds overhead no longer resemble the fluffy white clouds you drew in pretty pictures of when you were a kid. You have a strange feeling about this storm, so you go inside and turn on your local weather station. Sure enough, a tornado watch has been issued for your county. Do you know what to do?
What A Tornado Watch Means
Meteorologists issue watches when they detect favorable conditions within a thunderstorm that can soon produce tornadoes. Tornado watches typically cover a much larger, broader area and give you one or two hours warning before the storm (but not always).
When a watch is issued for your county, it’s common to see several surrounding counties and even other states under the same watch.
Plan of Action
Even though a tornado watch is not as threatening as a warning, it should never be brushed off with little thought. No, a tornado may not have been spotted, but that does not mean one can’t appear in your area over the next few minutes. Weather conditions can change dramatically with these types of storms.
When a tornado watch has been issued, you must start planning and find an area to seek shelter if the outside conditions worsen. Go over any emergency plans with your family beforehand, and ensure you have all your emergency supplies ready, just in case. Please stock up on solar light sources.
Tornado Warning
A severe thunderstorm has blown into your area reasonably quickly and somewhat unexpectedly. Flashes of lightning and ear-splitting thunder are coming ever closer. Out of nowhere, powerful gusts of hurricane-speed winds slap your face and toss you around, followed by an ice-cold drenching rain. Small pellets of hail begin to clutter the ground at your feet.
Then, just as suddenly as it all started, the sky shifted to an alarming greenish hue. Every leaf on every tree swishing in the breeze just a moment ago was now frozen. The eerie silence and stillness are so chilling that they make your skin crawl as your heart pounds its way outside your chest like a hammer.
Blaring off in the distance, you can hear the storm sirens begin to sound, and you know that it’s a warning you need to take heed of quickly! Do you know what to do?
What a Tornado Warning Means
You’ll find that tornado warnings cover a much smaller region than what a watch does. A warning will zero in on a more focal point in the area, such as a county or an individual city. Because of this, a warning may only give you just a few minutes to act, sometimes only seconds.
A warning will be issued if a tornado has been spotted or local radar shows that one is occurring or just about to develop. When an alert has been issued for your area, there’s an imminent threat where lives and property are at a greater risk. It’s time for you to move and stop watching the skies!
Plan of Action
When a tornado warning lights up on your television screen for your county, now is the time to move your family to a designated shelter area. And I mean IMMEDIATELY. Try to find a place below ground, like a basement, away from windows. Find something you and your family can hide within or underneath for extra protection.
If you’re in a building without a basement, get to the lowest floor and center. You must do your best to put as many walls between you and the outside world as possible. Get down low and under the protection of a table or desk space, and protect your head and neck by covering them with your hands and arms.
Final Word
Even though science and technology are much more advanced than they were just a few decades ago, along with providing us with more warnings ahead of time, tornadoes can still catch meteorologists off guard.
Tornadoes can touch down even before you hear the sirens, so acting ahead of time is essential. When a warning has been issued, seek shelter in a basement. If you live in a mobile home, it’s best to leave it as early as possible and find a safer place below ground.
If it’s too late, climb into your bathtub and cover your head and neck with your hands and arms. Do you think there is a difference between a tornado watch and a warning? May God bless this world, Linda
Copyright Images: Tornado on Road Deposit photos_41140785_s-2019, Tornado Funnel Deposit photos_200888382_s-2019, Tornado Aftermath Depositphotos_18635793_S By Alexeys
Tornado Watch is a day that ends in Y
Tornado Warning is usually what happens after we are already in the hidey hole
Now I’m going to make some of y’all mad with real talk:
Real shoes (as in not open toed, heeled or flip flops), your medications, your weapon, your go bag and NOT WAITING to get off the X for some government official to tell you. Be grown and make your own decisions.
Register your storm shelter because it is an area you DO want to be found. Yes you want .GOV officials to cut the debris off of it so you can get out.
Going into a stocked area with some snack type foods, water, toiletries, alternate lighting, trash bags (to put whats left in), gloves (real gloves that protect you not cutsie junk or oversized striped cheapies you bought because you don’t like wearing them), a record of your belongings, tarps and coms.
Be safe
Hi Matt, oh my gosh, thanks for these AWESOME tips!! I did not know we could register a storm shelter, I don’t have them but I remember growing up in California seeing them. I hope people read your comment, you know I LOVE it! Linda
Matt, I’m with you on this. We didn’t have any warning the last tornado that came through here in East Texas. We did lose power, but that’s a regular occurrence in the rural area where we live. We were sitting on the front porch eating dinner. It was the weirdest ever. On the north side of our house, it went from west to East. On the south side East to west. We didn’t have any damage, praise God.
It’s better to be lucky than good some days lol
I’m living proof on multiple occasions
This is my Shelter inventory:
Earplugs (because it’s noisy and the air horn you might use to be found is too)
Heavy duty tote you can sit on
2 good chairs
Light
8 AA
4 AAA
Radio (wind up and solar)
2pr gloves
Homemade candles ( homemade just because we did some as a group from animal fat)
Mirror
Hand sanitizer
Chemlights (Gets dark in that hole)
Air horn (in case the shelter is covered in debris)
Extension cord (cause power doesn’t shut off immediately. Get the last charge in the phone)
Extension cord splitter
15gl water
Tape
Towels (It wet and you sweat afterwards)
Stocking cap (early spring it’s still cool and folks go into shock from mental or physical injuries)
Fan (circulation of air till the power goes out)
Small tote bag (to carry valuables afterwards)
Rubber gloves
Trash bags (to put recovered items in)
Toilet (Cause mine is now gone but I gotta stay n work)
1 roll TP
3 MREs
Just some ideas. Make it yours. The go bags compliment it. Y’all stay safe.
Hi Matt, I LOVE this list!!! Thank you, Linda
Dear Matt:
Your description of what is needed in the Tornado Hidey Hole is much appreciated! Yesterday was, I believe, my 2nd ever experience of even thinking of local tornadoes. We generally never have any. This year is freaky, with all kinds of nasty weather, between the excessive and never ending heat, and now tornado watches, warnings, and flash flooding. So far, only yesterday was really bad for tornado watches, but though the NWS claimed any tornadoes would form over almost on top of our house, none did. Thank God! About 30 miles away, they had golf-balls sized hail, but we had nothing, just a light rain! Regardless, I am going to take your advice and start making up a bag or two with your suggested items to have in the underneath the stairs location that is all we have that would be without windows on the daylight basement area of our house. Fortunately, that under the stairs location is only 1 door away from our entire pantry and one other door away from a toilet and sink (laundry room). Also, I have two cases of Fiji water sitting right next to my chair in the under-the-stairs hidden hole! Either way, I think investing in a bull horn is a great idea, since they are predicting similar weather this afternoon to that of yesterday afternoon! HELP! I am already tired of all of the stress, but God has been faithful to answer my prayers, and I thank Him profusely for that!
From Central New York
Hi Jess, Matt has been through many tornadoes, he knows what we need if our city or county is prone to tornadoes. I love it! Linda
I hope yall stay safe. Wear bike helmets and drag mattresses around you because debris is just as dangerous as the whirlwind.
Hi Matt, thanks again for the tips on helmets mattresses. I’m going to add your original list fro August 2020 to my post, as alway, thank you, my friend! Linda
Linda, Matt’s info is excellent. I was born and raised in SE Kansas in the heart of tornado alley, mostly BEFORE we had tornado warning sirens. We always had storm cellars or basement and twice those saved our lives when our homes were destroyed. Now there are businesses that can build tornado proof rooms above ground level but below ground is always best.
Speaking of which, in the Northern Hemisphere tornadoes USUALLY track from SW to NE, so the SW corner of your basement is where you want to be (and where your pre-stocked storm shelter area should be).
When we lived on the family farm our storm cellar was about 50′ from our house. It served as a root cellar so there was always plenty of food there but grandpa had some old 10-gallon milk cans that held blankets, extra clothing, boots, flashlights and matches. One can held water. They were Preppers before that was a thing and it kept us alive.
HI Ray, yes, they were preppers before that was a word. So were you and me! I’m not sure when prepper became a word, you and I have been prepping long before that word was prevalent. Great story about the 10-gallon milk cans, I love it!! Linda
Appreciate it.
Yeah there was no term of “preppers” back then. It used to just be a way of life and good sense. Then it was termed “survivalist” later in the 90s deemed bad by .gov and actions of a few loosely associated with such activities.
The Weather Service is talking about/redoing the weather warning notifications. Have seen on Facebook surveys to fill out. It looked confusing.
I have a terrible problem with the words Watch and Warning. Both begin with the same letter and some how in my mind a warning is like (“if you out in the woods today…”) be careful and alert something might happen today and a watch is, it’s coming, keep your head swiveling looking for it as you head for shelter.
I’d prefer a color system, red being take cover or get to shore or don’t leave the house and get the pets in NOW!
Numbers aren’t good as a 1 or a 10 could be the safe or unsafe number in various systems.
Hi Lee, I totally agree with you! I have only been through one tornado and I was 16 years old and very naive. I was babysitting my nieces and nephews and we quickly went down into the corner of the basement without a window. I wish there was an easier way for those who may be driving through town and not aware of tornadoes. Hopefully, they have their radios on! Stay safe, Linda
I love the color warning. Similar to traffic lights.
Green = Everything OK
Yellow = Be Cautious, Be Prepared.
Red = Take Cover Now
Hi Deborah, those would be easy for me to remember! Linda
Linda & Matt,
Thank you Linda for posting this information, it is important for people to know if they are moving to an area that is prone to tornados – as many are moving to now. Matt, thank you for your insight for I am sure many will find it very helpful. I grew up in NW Ga where I still live and this area is also considered to be a Tornado Alley. Within the past 15 years alone we have had areas in our county absolutely devastated by tornados ranging from EF3 – EF5. So many people lost everything that they had, many didn’t even have homeowners insurance, which is definitely an essential prep that many either overlook or lets go of because of finances. Those who did not have homeowners insurance still to this day encourages others to not only get but to keep as well. And as for those who were renting – none of them had renters insurance. I update my homeowner’s insurance each and every year – I do this because 1) the value of your home changes as the market changes, so anytime do something as small or simple as paint it can change the value of your home. 2) Anytime I bring into my home new furniture, appliances, electronics, jewelry, anything of monetary value that would be appealing to thieves – needs to be documented and updated with your insurance company. I also tell all my family and friends to never go without homeowner’s/renters insurance as well as keep it updated. It is also important to point out that if anyone lives in a tornado-prone area, it would be a good idea to keep all essential documentation in a safety deposit box because God forbids your home gets destroyed by a tornado the last thing you want is for your filing cabinet/waterproof fireproof safe to end up 5 miles away for just anyone to pick up.
Hi Ravenna, thank you for your kind words. I really appreciate hearing stories from people who have lived through tornadoes or hurricanes. You remind us what we must do to stay ahead of the game like having insurance. Most of us may think everyone has homeowner’s insurance or that they update it yearly. I do but that’s because I sold real estate for years and I check values of homes all the time. But if money is tight and your home is paid off you may think let it go, but we must not. We need it like a safety net. It makes me sad that so many people did not have insurance and lost everything. WOW! How devastating!!! Great comment, thank you for sharing, Linda
Appreciate it. I had mentioned before in another post on taking video of belongings and putting it on a “cloud” so the other cloud can’t blow it away.
Folks renters insurance is not expensive here. Less than a going out meal a month for a couple. Hard copies of that in the shelter and snap a pic for the cloud.
Also places like Walgreens will help you if you lose your prescriptions in a tornado. They’ve been real good in helping my people after a tornado.
I was just searching for “the best info on prepping for tornadoes” and came here first!! My daughter and her family just moved (well, 7 months ago) to Wyoming. I was visiting last week, and we had tornado watch and warning while I was there and had hail stones as big or bigger than a tennis ball!! Wouldn’t have believed it except I held one in my hand – thank you grandson #2 for saving some in the freezer.
So, I was thinking that I need to get my daughter and son-in-law on board for the “what ifs” of a tornado. They have a pretty secure basement, but it still needs to be stocked up. I have forwarded these posts on preparing to my daughter along with a few things I added just for good measure!
I am planning to move to the town near their farm, so I need this as well. The place I am looking at is 2 story, but the lower story is more like a daylight basement. Not sure how that will be for protection, so I need to know ahead of time how to protect myself in the event of tornadoes hitting in town. Since I am fairly well prepared for most emergencies, I only need to feel secure in the lower story (IF I GET THE ONE I WANT!!)
Matt – you mentioned registering your shelter. Is there a particular place you do that? Or would one go to their local county offices?
Hi Leanne, oh thank you for your kind words, my friend! I’m so excited you are moving closer to your family! Fingers crossed you get the home you want!!! I would think you would may need boards to board up the basement windows?? Even if it’s from the inside?? Yes, the glass would break, but at our age we shouldn’t be outside in the storm, just thinking about myself. You go to survival camps, my friend!!! I love it! I didn;t know Matt mentioned registering our shelters, wow, how did I miss that. Thank you, Linda
This has been very helpful since in the past week, Tucson, AZ has had two really bad storms and tornados!!! We hear chain saws going the next morning with lots of trees and even tall Saguaro Cactus down everywhere. Neighbors have lost trees, roofing, shingles, and have debris from others’ yards. We lost power for 3 hours. Never did I think that the “unexpected” for Tucson would be tornados!!! So I have been rethinking a lot of things. One thing that was very helpful was small battery operated fans to move the air around right in front of our faces during the power outage. The temps and humidity were very high on Sunday night. There were no warnings during the first storm but we got emergency warnings . . . after it hit on Sunday night in our area.
Hi Carol, I have family that lives in Tucson and I saw some pictures of the damage in some areas! Oh my gosh! I have never heard about winds like you had last week in Tucson! Interesting you got the emergency warnings after the fact! Linda