Tornado Awareness

While tornadoes occur throughout the year, they’re most frequent from March to September. Make sure you and your family are prepared for the tornado season ahead.
 
Know the difference between a watch and a warning.

• A tornado watch indicates that weather conditions are favorable for tornado formations. At this point, it’s important to listen to your local radio or TV station for updates on weather conditions. It’s critical to remain alert, especially if there’s no warning system where you live.

• A tornado warning means a tornado has actually been spotted or detected on radar. If your community has a warning system, listen for the siren, typically a steady tone that lasts three to five minutes. But don’t depend on a warning. Sometimes tornadoes develop quickly or strike after dark, before officials can sound the warning. That’s why it’s critical to remain alert. When the wind picks up, head for shelter. Even if a tornado doesn’t strike, high winds can still cause damage and injury.

• Designate shelters in your home, such as a basement or interior room or closet where there are no windows or outside walls. Make sure everyone in the family knows what to do and where to go.
• If you live in a mobile home, go to your park’s designated shelter or a building with a basement or strong foundation. If there are none, leave your home and find a ditch or another low-lying area a safe distance from your home, and lie flat.
• Make sure your children understand how important it is for them to listen to teachers and follow the emergency shelter plans at school.
• If your employer hasn’t designated a safe place at work, find one, perhaps in a bathroom. Again, make sure there are no outer walls or windows.
• If you’re in a vehicle, get out go to a shelter. If none are available, lie flat in a ditch or low-lying area.
• If you’re outdoors, get to a shelter with a basement or strong foundation. If none are available, lie flat in a ditch or low-lying area.
• Practice tornado drills at home with your family.
• Have a plan for how family members and co-workers will contact one another during/after an emergency. Designate an out-of-area contact (a relative or family friend) who can coordinate your family members’ locations and information if you become separated. Make sure that children learn the phone number in case they don’t have a cell phone.

• Sometimes you can’t see tornados until they start carrying dust and debris.
• While most tornados move southwest-to-northeast, they can move in any direction.
• The rotating winds in a tornado can reach 250 mph, and they can travel as quickly as 70 mph.
• The sounds of a tornado can range from a dull roar to a train-like blast.
• No areas are tornado-proof. Tornados can jump rivers, cut through major cities (St. Louis, Chicago, Los Angeles, Nashville, Philadelphia, Miami, and others have been hit), and even hit the same neighborhood more than once in a few years’ time.
• Highway underpasses are not safe shelters in a tornado.