Tornado Warning vs. Watch: What to Do in the Next 10 Minutes

By Logan Pierce

A tornado warning is one of the few weather alerts where the entire plan has to fit inside about 10 minutes. That's not an exaggeration. The average tornado warning gives roughly 8 to 13 minutes of lead time before a tornado actually touches down, according to NOAA. So when people ask what a tornado warning means and what to do about it, the honest answer is: you don't have time to figure it out once it's happening. You need to know it cold before the sky turns green.

This guide lays out the exact difference between a tornado watch and a tornado warning, using definitions straight from the National Weather Service and the Storm Prediction Center (SPC), plus the specific actions to take in each. No sirens-are-coming panic, just the plan.

What's the difference between a tornado watch and a tornado warning?

A tornado watch means tornadoes are possible in and near the watch area over the next several hours. A tornado warning means a tornado has already been spotted by a trained spotter or law enforcement, or indicated by weather radar, and it is happening now.

The two also differ in who issues them and how big an area they cover. A tornado watch is issued by the Storm Prediction Center in Norman, Oklahoma, and typically covers a large area, often multiple counties or parts of more than one state, for four to eight hours at a time. A tornado warning is issued by your local National Weather Service forecast office for a much smaller, more specific area, and it's meant to be acted on immediately. Full definitions are available from the National Weather Service.

Think of it this way: a watch is a heads up. A warning is a command.

What should you do during a tornado watch?

During a tornado watch, get ready, don't wait around scared. This is the calm window to prepare, not the moment to shelter. Ready.gov's tornado safety guidance recommends using a watch to:

• Review your family's tornado plan and make sure everyone knows the safe room

• Check that your safe room is actually clear of clutter and reachable in seconds

• Turn on a battery powered or hand crank weather radio, or keep weather alerts active on your phone

• Bring in anything you'd need for a few minutes underground: shoes, a phone, a flashlight

• Keep an eye on the sky and local news, but keep living your day

A watch can last for hours and often doesn't produce a single tornado in your immediate area. That's normal. It doesn't mean the watch was wrong, it means the ingredients were there and conditions stayed just under the line.

What should you do during a tornado warning, in the next 10 minutes?

The moment a tornado warning is issued for your location, stop what you're doing and move to your safe spot immediately. There's no step before that. According to the Storm Prediction Center's tornado safety guidance, here's the order of operations:

• Go to your safe room now: a small, windowless interior room on the lowest floor of a sturdy building, such as a basement, storm cellar, closet, bathroom, or center hallway

• Put as many walls as possible between yourself and the outside

• Get low, cover your head and neck with your arms, and pull a mattress, blankets, or a helmet over yourself if you can grab one on the way

• Stay away from windows, even if they're closed and taped

• If you're in a mobile home, leave it immediately, no matter how well anchored it is, and get to the nearest sturdy building or designated shelter

• If you're at work or school, follow the posted severe weather plan and move to the designated shelter area without waiting for someone to tell you twice

Ten minutes is not a lot of time to debate where to go. Decide now, before a warning is ever issued, exactly which room in your home is the safe room, so the only decision left during a warning is walking to it.

Where's the safest place to shelter during a tornado?

The safest place is a small, windowless room on the lowest floor of a sturdy building, ideally underground. In order of preference, that's a storm cellar or basement, then an interior bathroom, closet, or hallway on the lowest floor, as far from exterior walls and windows as you can get. This guidance comes directly from the NOAA Storm Prediction Center.

If you live in a mobile home or RV, none of them are considered safe in a tornado warning, even with tie-downs. The plan has to be a sturdy building nearby or a community shelter, identified before storm season, not during it.

What should you never do during a tornado warning?

Never try to outrun a tornado in a car, and never shelter under a highway overpass. Both feel like reasonable instincts and both are documented mistakes that have cost lives.

• Don't outrun it in a vehicle. Tornadoes can change direction and speed unpredictably, and traffic, debris, and terrain make outrunning one a gamble you can't win consistently.

• Don't shelter under an overpass. The gap under a bridge acts like a wind tunnel, speeding up wind and funneling flying debris directly at anyone underneath. It is not safer than open ground.

• Don't open your windows. The old idea that opening windows equalizes pressure and protects your house is a myth. It wastes time you don't have and doesn't reduce damage.

• Don't wait to see it before you act. Many tornadoes are wrapped in rain and invisible until they're extremely close. A warning means act now, not once you can confirm it visually.

What if you're caught in a car when a tornado warning is issued?

Get to a sturdy building if you possibly can, that's always the first choice. If there's truly no building within reach and the tornado is closing in, the Storm Prediction Center's guidance is to stay in the car with your seatbelt on, get your head down below the windows, and cover yourself with a blanket or coat. If you can safely get lower than the level of the roadway, such as a ditch away from the vehicle, lying flat and covering your head is preferable to staying in the car, but this is very much a last resort, not a first move. The priority order is always: sturdy building, then vehicle with seatbelt low, then ditch, and never an overpass.

Frequently asked questions

How much warning do you actually get before a tornado hits?
On average, about 8 to 13 minutes between when a tornado warning is issued and when a tornado touches down, according to NOAA. That's why knowing your safe room ahead of time matters so much.

What's the simplest way to remember the difference between a tornado watch and a warning?
A watch means conditions are possible, get ready. A warning means it's happening, take shelter now.

Is it safe to shelter under a highway overpass during a tornado?
No. Overpasses can funnel wind and debris like a tunnel, making them more dangerous than many open areas, not safer.

What's the safest room in a house during a tornado?
A small, windowless interior room on the lowest floor, such as a basement, storm cellar, closet, bathroom, or center hallway, away from exterior walls and windows.

Should I open my windows during a tornado to equalize pressure?
No. That's a long-standing myth. Opening windows does not protect your home and only wastes time you need for getting to shelter.

What do I do if I live in a mobile home and a tornado warning is issued?
Leave immediately for a sturdy building or a designated community shelter. Mobile homes, even tied down, are not considered safe shelter in a tornado warning.

You never know, but you can always be ready.

Sources: National Weather Service: Tornado Watch vs. Warning, NOAA Storm Prediction Center: Tornado Safety FAQ, Ready.gov: Tornadoes, NOAA: Tornadoes 101.

Related reading

• Tornadoes aren't the only fast-moving storm risk. See our hurricane preparedness checklist and 72-hour plan.

• Make sure everyone in the house knows the plan with a family emergency communication plan.

• If you need to move fast, grab our 72-hour bug-out bag checklist for every family member.