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Storm-prep guide

Tornado safety

Tornadoes can form with only minutes of warning. Know the difference between a watch and a warning, and pick your safe spot before you need it.

Watch or warning?

  • Tornado watch: tornadoes are possible in and near the watch area, which can cover several counties. Review your plan, check supplies and know where your safe spot is. NWS
  • Tornado warning: a tornado has been seen or shown on radar. There is danger now. Go to your safe spot immediately. NWS

Where to shelter

  1. Lowest floor, inside room, no windows. A basement, storm cellar or safe room is best. Otherwise use a small interior room or hallway on the lowest floor of a sturdy building. NWS
  2. Stay away from windows. NWS
  3. Mobile homes are not safe. Leave for a sturdy building or the nearest substantial shelter before the storm arrives. NWS
  4. In a car: don't stay put. Drive to the nearest shelter if you can. If you can't, either stay in the car with your head down and covered, or get out and lie in a ditch or low spot, covering your head. NWS
  5. Outdoors: sheds, storage units and tents won't protect you. Get into a sturdy building right away. NWS

After the tornado

  1. Keep listening. More storms can follow. A NOAA Weather Radio works when phones and internet don't. NWS
  2. Text, don't call. Texts and social posts get through more reliably than calls when networks are overloaded. NWS
  3. Dress for debris. Wear long sleeves, long pants and sturdy shoes. Stay out of damaged buildings and away from downed power lines, and report them. NWS
  4. Watch for scams. Be careful with anyone offering repairs or insurance help door to door. NWS
Phones down?The Storm Proof kit keeps first-aid references and offline maps on your own computer, and Storm Mesh radios let you text the people near you with no cell service.

The basic kit

Ready.gov's basic kit includes water (one gallon per person per day for several days), several days of food, a battery or hand-crank radio and a NOAA Weather Radio, a flashlight, a first-aid kit, extra batteries, a whistle, a manual can opener, local maps, and a phone with chargers and a backup battery. Ready.gov NOAA Weather Radio broadcasts warnings around the clock from more than 1,000 transmitters. NWS

Sources checked November 8, 2026. This guide summarizes official advice and isn't a substitute for instructions from local emergency officials.