How Do You Stay Safe in Severe Weather?
Know the alerts: a watch means be prepared and a warning means take action now. Have more than one way to get NWS warnings, such as a NOAA Weather Radio and phone alerts. Plan where you will shelter for each hazard, keep an emergency kit, and act right away when a warning covers your location.
This is the unit that keeps people alive. We start with the difference between weather and climate, then get practical: what watches and warnings really mean, how to build a plan your family will actually follow, and how SKYWARN spotters report what radar cannot see. I am a spotter and a mom, and this is the stuff I care about most.
What You’ll Learn
- The difference between weather and climate, and what climate normals are
- How El Nino and La Nina shift weather patterns
- What advisories, watches and warnings mean and who issues them
- How SPC risk categories from Marginal to High work
- How to build a layered warning plan and an emergency kit
- Where to shelter for tornadoes, floods and hurricanes
- How to tell a wall cloud from a shelf cloud and report storms to the NWS
Lessons In This Unit
- 16.1Weather Versus ClimateWeather is the state of the atmosphere at a given time and place, like today's thunderstorm or tonight's low. Climate is the long-term statistics of weather in a region,...Beginner · 8 min
- 16.2Watches, Warnings And AdvisoriesA tornado watch means conditions are favorable for tornadoes, so be prepared. The Storm Prediction Center issues watches for large areas, often for 4 to 8 hours. A tornado...Beginner · 9 min
- 16.3Building A Weather Safety PlanSet up more than one way to get warnings, such as a NOAA Weather Radio and phone alerts. Pick a shelter for each hazard: an interior room on the lowest floor for tornadoes,...Beginner · 8 min
- 16.4Storm Spotting And ReportingA wall cloud is a localized lowering beneath a storm's rain-free updraft base, usually near the rear of the storm, and it may rotate and produce a tornado. A shelf cloud is a...Intermediate · 9 min
Questions People Ask
What is the difference between a watch and a warning?
A watch means conditions are favorable for a hazard, so be prepared. A warning means the hazard is happening or imminent, so take action now.
Is LightningWX an official warning source?
No. LightningWX displays official NWS warnings, but the National Weather Service issues them. Always follow NWS warnings and local officials.
What is SKYWARN?
SKYWARN is the NWS volunteer storm spotter program. Local NWS offices offer free training.
When a warning covers you, act first and look later. Jen — Jen
