Sheltering from a tornado: watch vs. warning

When a tornado watch is issued, get ready; when a tornado warning is issued, go at once to the lowest floor of a sturdy building, into a small interior room away from windows, and cover your head and neck.

Tornado watch vs. warning, and where to shelter. A watch means get ready, because tornadoes are possible; a warning means go to shelter now. Go to a basement, storm shelter or safe room, or with no basement, a small windowless room in the middle of the lowest floor, then get low and cover your head and neck. — **Fig. 5.3** A watch means get ready, because tornadoes are possible; a warning means go to shelter now. Go to a basement, storm shelter or safe room, or with no basement, a small windowless room in the middle of the lowest floor, then get low and cover your head and neck. Source: National Weather Service; NOAA Storm Prediction Center; Environment and Climate Change Canada; Public Safety Canada.

Area: SafetyFrom age 8Time to learn: 15 minutes, plus a drill at home once a yearPractise in a class

A watch means tornadoes are possible, so get ready; a warning means one is happening or about to, so go straight to a basement or a small windowless room in the middle of the lowest floor and cover your head and neck.

SafetyOnce a tornado passes, more can follow, so keep getting alerts and follow local officials' instructions. Stay at least 10 m (about 33 feet) from downed power lines, do not go back into a home you suspect is unsafe, and make phone calls only if someone's life is in danger or they need emergency help right away; text otherwise.

Why it matters

In the US, a tornado watch covers a large area, often many counties or even states, while a warning covers a much smaller area, around the size of a city or small county, where a tornado has been seen or picked up on radar. Tornadoes can occur with less than 30 minutes' notice, so the time to choose your shelter is before any warning. Most deaths and injuries happen when buildings collapse or people are hit by flying debris, especially glass, which is why the safest place is low, central and away from windows.

Tornadoes killed 67 people in the US in 2025, by the Storm Prediction Center's preliminary count. Of those, 25 were in mobile or manufactured homes, and 61 died where a tornado watch was already in effect.

Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center: 2025 Preliminary Killer Tornadoes, 2025.Measured

How to do it

Learn the two alerts. A tornado watch means tornadoes are possible in and near the area: get ready. A tornado warning means a tornado is happening or about to: take shelter now, without waiting to see it.
Know who sends them. In the US, the Storm Prediction Center issues watches, often for many counties at once, and your local National Weather Service office issues warnings for a smaller area. A Tornado Emergency, the highest US level, means a violent tornado has touched down. In Canada, Environment and Climate Change Canada issues watches and warnings, each on a yellow, orange or red banner that shows how severe it is.
Set up alerts before storm season. In the US, Wireless Emergency Alerts reach WEA-capable phones for tornado warnings with no sign-up, so leave emergency alerts switched on, and keep a NOAA Weather Radio as a backup. In Canada, Alert Ready sends tornado warnings to compatible phones and interrupts TV and radio; also install the WeatherCAN app and turn on its alert notifications.
Choose your shelter now. Best is a basement, storm shelter or safe room. With no basement, use a small room in the middle of the lowest floor, such as a bathroom or closet, the space under a stairwell, or an interior hallway with no windows. In a basement, stay out from under heavy objects on the floor above, such as a piano or refrigerator.
Keep a mattress, sleeping bags or thick blankets, and helmets if you have them, in or next to the shelter, because flying debris is the greatest danger. Practice a household tornado drill at least once a year so everyone can get there in seconds.
When a watch is issued, think through the drill, check your supplies and shelter, and keep the TV, radio or a weather radio on. If you live in a mobile home, plan to go to a sturdy building, and go early: most tornadoes can destroy even a tied-down mobile home.
When a warning is issued, or you hear a loud, continuous roar that does not fade like thunder, or see a funnel cloud or whirling debris near the ground, go to your shelter at once. Do not open windows. At school or work, follow the drill and stay out of large open rooms such as gyms and auditoriums.
In the shelter, get as low as you can, face down, and cover your head and neck with your arms. Pull a mattress or thick blankets over you, or get under a sturdy table or workbench. Stay down for at least 60 seconds after the tornado has passed.
If you are outside and cannot reach a sturdy building, lie flat in a ditch or other low ground, cover your head with your arms, and watch for rising water. Get as far as you can from trees and cars. Never shelter under a bridge or overpass.
In a vehicle, do not try to outrace a tornado; drive to the nearest sturdy building. If flying debris catches you first, park out of the traffic lanes, keep your seat belt on, and put your head below the windows and cover it. If you can safely get noticeably lower than the road, leave the car and lie flat there with your head covered.

Common mistakes

Waiting to see the tornado before moving. Many tornadoes are hidden in heavy rain.
Ignoring a watch. It is the time to check your plan and, in a mobile home, to move to a sturdy building.
Opening windows to equalize pressure. It wastes time, and the tornado will break them anyway.
Sheltering under a highway overpass or bridge.
Staying in a mobile home because it is tied down.

You can do this when …you can explain the difference between a watch and a warning, point to your home's shelter spot, and get everyone there, crouched with heads covered, within seconds during a practice drill.

Reading is not training. Practise on a manikin or in a supervised class with the American Red Cross or the American Heart Association, or in Canada with the Heart and Stroke Foundation, St John Ambulance or the Canadian Red Cross.