Watch vs warning › Tornado watch vs tornado warning
Tornado watch vs tornado warning
A tornado watch means tornadoes are possible near you. Be ready. A tornado warning means a tornado has been sighted or picked up on radar. Take shelter now.
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What the National Weather Service says
Tornado Watch
Tornadoes are possible in and near the watch area.
- Issued by
- The Storm Prediction Center issues all tornado watches.
- Area covered
- The watch area is typically large, covering numerous counties or even states. Typical watches cover about 25,000 square miles, or about half the size of Iowa.
- How long it lasts
- Watches last during a two to eight hour period. Each one carries an expiration time set when it is issued.
Tornado Warning
A tornado has been sighted or indicated by weather radar. There is imminent danger to life and property.
- Issued by
- Your local National Weather Service forecast office issues tornado warnings.
- Area covered
- Warnings typically encompass a much smaller area, around the size of a city or small county.
- How long it lasts
- A tornado warning usually lasts no more than 45 minutes. The exact expiration time is in the alert itself.
The definitions above are the National Weather Service's own wording.
Watch duration and watch size come from the Storm Prediction Center FAQ. Warning duration comes from the National Weather Service office in Mobile. Both are cited in the sources at the end of this page.
A tornado warning can be issued with no watch beforehand. Do not wait for a watch.
A memory aid that actually sticks
A watch is the ingredients on the counter. You could have tacos. A warning is the taco in your hand. You are having tacos. It is a memory aid, not National Weather Service language. The definitions above are the wording that counts.
The analogy is not ours. Emergency managers and TV meteorologists have used it for years, and the version that spread nationally came from the Normal Fire Department in Normal, Illinois, in 2021. No agency owns it. Coverage
What to do
If a tornado watch is issued
- Review and discuss your emergency plan with everyone in the house.
- Pick your shelter spot now. The lowest floor, a small interior room with no windows.
- Take inventory of your supplies and check your safe room.
- Turn on the emergency alerts in your phone settings and check your weather radio batteries.
- Charge your phone.
- Stay where you can hear an alert.
- If you live in a mobile home, decide now which sturdy building you will go to, and go early rather than late.
- Be ready to act quickly if a warning is issued.
If a tornado warning is issued
- Move now. Do not go outside to look.
- Go to the lowest floor of a sturdy building.
- Get into a small interior room with no windows. A basement, a storm shelter, an interior bathroom, a closet, or an interior hallway.
- Stay away from windows.
- Cover your head and neck.
- If you are in a mobile home, leave it and go to a sturdy building or a storm shelter. If there is not one nearby, get to the closest substantial shelter you can reach and protect yourself from flying debris.
- If you are in a vehicle, get out and get into a sturdy building. If there is not one nearby, get to a low spot away from the vehicle and cover your head from flying debris. Do not get into a ditch that has water in it.
- Stay in your shelter until the warning expires or the National Weather Service cancels it.
Common questions
Is a tornado watch or warning worse?
A tornado warning is worse. A watch means tornadoes are possible in and near the area, so be ready. A warning means a tornado has been sighted or indicated by weather radar and there is imminent danger to life and property. Take shelter as soon as a warning covers your area.
Source: www.weather.gov/safety/tornado-wwDoes a tornado siren mean watch or warning?
A siren does not reliably tell you which one it is. Cities and counties own the sirens and set their own activation policies, and the National Weather Service does not sound them. Sirens are also designed to be heard outdoors, not indoors. If you hear one, take shelter and then check a weather radio, your phone, or local news for the actual alert.
Source: www.weather.gov/dvn/sirenFAQIs it safe to drive during a tornado watch?
It is a bad idea. A watch means tornadoes are possible in and near the area, and the guidance during a watch is to review your plan and be ready to act quickly. A vehicle is one of the worst places to be when a warning is issued, because you then have to get out and find shelter. If you must drive, keep your alerts on and be ready to stop and get into a sturdy building.
Source: www.weather.gov/safety/tornado-wwHow long does a tornado watch last?
Tornado watches last during a two to eight hour period, and each one carries an expiration time set when the Storm Prediction Center issues it. A tornado warning is much shorter and usually lasts no more than 45 minutes. The exact expiration time is written in the alert.
Source: www.spc.noaa.gov/faqWhat should I do during a tornado warning?
Move to an interior room on the lowest floor of a sturdy building and stay away from windows. If you are in a mobile home, a vehicle, or outdoors, get to the closest substantial shelter and protect yourself from flying debris. Cover your head. Stay there until the warning expires or is cancelled.
Source: www.weather.gov/safety/tornado-wwWho issues tornado watches and warnings?
The Storm Prediction Center issues all tornado watches. Local National Weather Service offices issue all tornado warnings. That is why a watch covers a large area and a warning covers a small one.
Source: www.spc.noaa.gov/faqHow a tornado alert reaches your phone
Tornado Warnings are on the National Weather Service list of warnings sent to cell phones as Wireless Emergency Alerts. Keep emergency alerts turned on in your phone settings.
That list is warnings only. You will not get a phone alert for a tornado watch. A quiet phone is not proof that nothing is happening.
Source: www.weather.gov/wrn/weaHow a tornado alert reaches you without cell service
NOAA Weather Radio All Hazards broadcasts official Weather Service warnings, watches, forecasts and other hazard information 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, directly from the nearest National Weather Service office.
It carries tornado watches as well as tornado warnings, and it does not depend on cell service. It needs a special radio receiver or scanner.
Source: www.weather.gov/nwrWhat a siren does and does not tell you
Cities and counties own outdoor warning sirens and decide when to sound them. The National Weather Service does not sound them, and activation policies are different from place to place.
Sirens are built to warn people who are outdoors. They are not built to be heard indoors. If you hear one, take shelter first, then check a weather radio, your phone, or local news for the actual alert.
Source: www.weather.gov/dvn/sirenFAQ