How to Prepare for Tornado Season

This year, the U.S. has had one of the most active tornado seasons in known history.

From January to June, there were about 1,250 tornadoes, putting the year-to-date 2024 preliminary tornado count in third place, behind 2011’s 1,398 tornadoes and 2008’s 1,303 tornadoes for the same period, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

Most recently, Hurricane Beryl—which broke storm records as it ravaged through the Caribbean earlier this month—spawned a tornado outbreak in parts of the South and northeastern U.S. last week.

“We continue to see an increase in extreme weather events caused by climate change, and tornado season has been no exception,” Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Administrator Deanne Criswell said in an emailed statement. “Tornadoes are always a risk when it comes to intense storms. We recently saw this with Hurricane Beryl, where the hurricane winds were so intense that it led to spinoff tornadoes.”

Tornadoes can occur throughout the year, but there are peak periods for different parts of the country. The peak tornado season for the southern Plains is from May into early June, while the northern Plains and upper Midwest have a peak season of June or July, according to the NOAA National Severe Storms Laboratory. 

Here’s how to best prepare for tornadoes.

Stay alert and sign up for emergency warnings

Make sure you’re aware of the signs of a tornado—that can include a rotating, funnel-shaped cloud, an approaching cloud of debris, or a loud roar similar to a freight train, according to Ready.gov. Keep an eye on weather reports. You can sign up for your community’s warning system, and the Emergency Alert System and NOAA Weather Radio also provide emergency alerts.

But not all alerts from the National Weather Service have the same meaning. A tornado watch means that tornadoes are possible in and near your area; you should be ready to act if need be. A tornado warning, meanwhile, means that a tornado is nearby and poses danger to life and property; you should move to a safe location right away. A tornado emergency means a violent tornado has reached your area, carrying a severe threat to human life and property; you should immediately seek out the safest location possible.

Read More: Why Beryl’s ‘Unprecedented’ Timing Is a Sign of Climate’s Impact on Extreme Weather

Gather emergency supplies

Prepare a basic disaster supplies kit, including water, non-perishable food, a battery-powered or hand crank radio, flashlight, first aid kit, extra batteries, and cell phone with chargers and back-up batteries. If you’re making a go-kit, the American Red Cross recommends that you have at least three days of supplies. For a stay-at-home kit, you should have at least two weeks of supplies.

Have a plan and a place to shelter

Figure out where would be a safe place to shelter during a tornado, like a safe room or a storm shelter. After that, the next safest place to shelter would be a small, interior room that has no windows or a basement on the lowest level of a sturdy building, according to Ready.gov.

The American Red Cross also recommends households do tornado drills to practice moving quickly to a safe location in an emergency.

“I always tell people that it is most important to know your risk,” Criswell said. “Now is the best time to sit down with your loved ones to make sure you’re all on the same page in case of extreme weather.”

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