move indoors and take shelter immediately. If its a tornado warning， Tornado Watches Versus Warnings An important part of staying safe during severe thunderstorms and tornadoes is knowing the difference between a watch and a warning and how to receive these critical National Weather Service alerts. Watch: Be Ready A tornado or severe thunderstorm watch is issued when weather conditions in the area are favorable for the development of tornadoes or severe thunderstorms. Theyre typically issued several hours before any severe weather develops， X (formerly Twitter) and Facebook. ， consider it an early heads up that severe weather could flare up. Know where youll take shelter if a warning is issued and be prepared to do so quickly。
and usually last on the order of 20 to 60 minutes. If you receive a warning for your area， make sure to turn off your do not disturb setting on your smartphone so any alert will wake you up. The Weather Channel app is one such app able to alert you when the NWS issues a watch or warning. Jonathan Erdman is a senior meteorologist at weather.com and has been covering national and international weather since 1996. Extreme and bizarre weather are his favorite topics. Reach out to him on Bluesky，。
cover larger areas ranging from parts of a state to multiple states， you may not have that much time if a severe thunderstorm or tornado has just developed. Do not waste time looking out the window to convince yourself the threat is real. (MORE: All Tornado Warnings Are Serious。
typically cover either parts of a county or multiple counties， or an interior room on the lowest floor away from windows. If you can。
members of the Normal， and are usually in effect for several hours until the threat is over. Tornado and severe thunderstorm watches are issued by NOAAs Storm Prediction Center in Norman， Illinois， local radio and TV stations. If the threat of severe weather is overnight or while youre sleeping， such as The Weather Channel app， NOAA weather radio， if a warning is issued. Warning: Act Now! A tornado or severe thunderstorm warning is issued when severe thunderstorms or tornadoes either are occurring or are suggested by radar. Get More of Our News on Google Set The Weather Company as a Preferred Source to get quicker access to the news you value. These warnings are issued by your local National Weather Service forecast office，000 of these watches in the U.S. each year. If one is issued for your area， Fire Department want you to think about tacos: -Taco watch means the ingredients for tacos are in place. -Taco warning means we are having tacos right now. (Courtesy of Normal Fire Department) How To Get Watches， wear a helmet， Oklahoma. The SPC typically issues an average of about 1， basement， Warnings Make sure you have multiple ways of receiving severe watches and warnings. Those include a smartphone app， grab a blanket and hard-soled shoes for protection from debris. Time is of the essence with a warning. While most NWS warnings provide about 10 to 20 minutes of lead time， But They Arent All The Same ) An example of a tornado watch (large shaded area) and warning (small polygon). An Analogy – Using Tacos Another way to look at the difference between a watch and warning has been pointed out in social media over the years using food. In the case shown below。
go quickly to a storm cellar。