Tornadoes guides
Tornado guides that explain watch and warning, where to shelter and how tornadoes are rated
Plain-language tornado guides: what a watch, warning and tornado emergency mean, where to shelter, and how tornadoes are rated and recorded.
Prepare
Before a storm: plans, supplies and your home.
Warnings
Tornado watch vs tornado warning: what each means and what to doA tornado watch means tornadoes are possible; a tornado warning means one has been sighted or shown on radar. Who issues each, and what to do in each.Read guide Preparing
Tornado safe rooms and shelters: what counts and what to doWhat FEMA means by a safe room, the next-best tornado shelter Ready.gov names, and what to do in a car or mobile home, from official FEMA and Ready.gov pages.Read guide Understanding
How tornadoes are rated on the EF scale, from EF0 to EF5How the National Weather Service rates tornadoes from EF0 to EF5, the wind estimates for each rating, and why a rating comes only after a damage survey.Read guide Understanding
Tornado season and Tornado Alley: when and where tornadoes happenFind when tornado season peaks by region, what Tornado Alley means, and how many tornadoes hit the U.S. each year, from NOAA.Read guide Understanding
Strongest, deadliest and biggest tornadoes in U.S. historyThe deadliest, widest, costliest and strongest-measured tornadoes in U.S. history, with numbers from NOAA's Storm Prediction Center.Read guide Understanding
Tornado outbreaks: what they are and the biggest on recordWhat a tornado outbreak is, how the Storm Prediction Center counts one, and the largest outbreaks on record, including April 2011 and the 1974 Super Outbreak.Read guide Stay safe
When a watch or warning is in effect.
Understanding
What a tornado emergency means, and how it differs from a PDS tornado warningWhat a tornado emergency is, how it differs from a tornado warning and a PDS warning, when the National Weather Service issues one, and every one since 1999.Read guide Staying safe
Tornado safety: watch vs warning and where to take shelterKnow what a tornado watch and warning mean and where the NWS says to shelter at home, in a mobile home or in a vehicle.Read guide Staying safe
Thunderstorms and lightning: what to do when thunder roarsReady.gov guidance for a thunderstorm warning: get indoors, avoid plugged-in electronics and running water, and never drive through floodwater.Read guide Understanding
Funnel cloud vs tornado: what is the difference?See how a funnel cloud differs from a tornado, according to the NOAA Storm Prediction Center, and why it still deserves a response.Read guide Understanding
Tornado sirens: what they mean and why some towns have noneWhat tornado sirens are for, why there is no national rule on them, and why you should not depend on them indoors.Read guide