What to do in a tornado warning
Go to the lowest floor, into a small interior room away from windows, and cover your head and neck. Don’t go out to look. A mobile home or a car is not safe: get to a sturdy building. If you can’t, get down in the car and cover your head, or lie in a ditch below the road. Never shelter under a highway overpass.
What to do right now
- Go to the lowest floor: a small interior room away from windows.
- Cover your head and neck.
- In a mobile home or a car: get to a sturdy building.
- Can't reach one? Get down in the car and cover your head, or lie in a ditch below the road.
- Never shelter under a highway overpass.
Remember: Don't go out to look.
Warning signs
A tornado warning, sirens, or a phone alert. A loud roar like a freight train. A dark, often greenish sky.
What happened: Joplin, Missouri, 2011
On 22 May 2011 Joplin’s sirens first sounded more than 20 minutes before an EF5 tornado, up to a mile wide, struck the city. The National Weather Service found many people did not go to shelter right away. The tornado killed 158 people.
The lesson: Don't go out to look. Lowest floor, interior room, away from windows. Cover your head.
Get ready before it happens
- Pick your shelter now: a basement, a safe room, or an interior room on the lowest floor.
- Live in a mobile home? Know which sturdy building you will go to.
- Turn on Emergency Alerts on every phone and sign up for your county’s alerts.
Questions people ask
Where is the safest place in a tornado?
A basement, a safe room, or a small interior room on the lowest floor, away from windows. Cover your head and neck.
Is it safe to shelter under a highway overpass?
No. Never shelter under an overpass. People have been killed sheltering under them.
What should you do if you are in a car when a tornado comes?
Drive to the closest sturdy shelter if you can. If you can’t, get down in the car and cover your head, or get out and lie in a low ditch.
What are the warning signs of a tornado?
A tornado warning, sirens, or a phone alert. A loud roar like a freight train. A dark, often greenish sky.
Sources
Every step on this page comes from these sources. We check them when we review the page.
- National Weather Service: During a tornado
- National Weather Service: Tornado safety
- NOAA Storm Prediction Center: Tornado FAQ
- National Weather Service: Joplin tornado service assessment
General safety information, not medical advice. Always follow instructions from local officials and 911 dispatchers.