It’s not hard, really. Think of “watch” as they are watching for one to develop as conditions are favorable. Warning is obviously more severe. If you’re in a warning zone, go to the basement. If you’re outside, seek shelter in the lowest possible place you can find. -grew up in tornado alley |
There’s not some higher level of warning for tornados than a tornado warning so obviously you should take it seriously. But if you are going to be idiotic and risk it, I guess it’s a free country. |
Y’all were in Tuscaloosa on April 27, 2011, and it shows. |
*weren’t |
I’ve lived in tornado alley for over 30 years. This weather can only create a baby tornado at most. Not even worth going inside for, let alone to the basement. |
Stupid bravado like this is what gets people killed. Yeah you’re an idiot to be driving your kid around in even a “baby tornado.” |
While it’s true that DMV tornadoes are not as large as those in the Midwest, I still wouldn’t be foolish enough to ignore a warning issued for my area or advise anyone else to. Sheltering in your basement (or low lying area outside) for 15-20 minutes is not a big deal. Be smart, take warnings seriously. |
This is probably a stupid question. But if there’s a thunderstorm warning is there anything to do other than go inside? |
I work in IT remotely for a company that has nuclear plants in an area where there were tornado watches yesterday. I was amused to learn they sent quite a few people home. I commented that you'd think a nuke plant would be a safe place to ride out a tornado, he did say many of the buidings were F5 rated for obvious reasons. Maybe those people stayed put. |
My understanding is warning means a tornado has been sighted in the area. |
You are correct. A warning means a funnel cloud has been spotted. The warning is issued for areas in the funnel cloud’s projected path. Hence, don’t mess with warnings. |
Did anyone else NOT receive the alert on their phone? Our county had a warning but our phones never went off. Sone but not all neighbors did get the alert. |
My spouses phone alerted but mine did not. It was weird. |
In the DMV I would worry more about flash flood drowning you in the basement https://www.nytimes.com/2021/09/02/nyregion/basement-apartment-floods-deaths.html Though a tree falling on the house is a real risk too. |