Stay informed

Watch means conditions are right for severe weather. Get ready and stay alert.
Warning means severe weather is happening or about to happen in your area. Take shelter now.
Turn on emergency alerts on your phone, and keep a battery-powered or hand-crank weather radio.

Thunderstorms and lightning

When thunder roars, go indoors. If you can hear thunder, you are close enough to be struck. No place outside is safe.
Go inside a building with plumbing and electrical wiring, or a hard-topped car with the windows up. Picnic shelters, tents, and dugouts don’t protect you.
Stay inside for 30 minutes after the last thunder.
Indoors, stay away from water (showers, baths, sinks), corded phones, and things plugged into outlets. Stay off porches and away from windows.
If you’re caught outside, get away from high ground, water, tall lone trees, and metal fences. Never shelter under a tree.

Go to a safe place now when there is a tornado warning: a storm shelter, basement, or a small room without windows on the lowest floor (like a closet, bathroom, or inside hallway).
Get under something sturdy like a heavy table if you can.
Cover your head and neck with your arms. Use blankets, pillows, or a mattress, and wear a helmet if you have one.
Leave mobile homes and cars for a sturdy building if there is time. Mobile homes aren’t safe in a tornado.
If you’re caught in a car and can’t get to shelter, buckle up, get down below the windows, and cover your head. If you can safely get lower than the road, such as in a ditch, lie flat and cover your head.
Don’t hide under a highway overpass or bridge. Wind can be stronger there.

Watch out for downed power lines, broken glass, nails, and damaged buildings. Stay out of damaged buildings until officials say they are safe.
Wear sturdy shoes, long pants, and work gloves during cleanup.
Use generators outdoors only, at least 20 feet from windows, doors, and vents. See carbon monoxide safety.