Tornadoes come quickly without much warning. Buy a NOAA Weather Radio with a warning alarm tone and battery back-up to receive warnings.

Weak Tornadoes	Strong Tornadoes	Violent Tornadoes
Before thunderstorms develop, a change in wind direction and an increase in wind speed with increasing height creates an invisible, horizontal spinning effect in the lower atmosphere.	Rising air within a thunderstorm updraft tilts the rotating air from horizontal to vertical.	An area of rotation, 2-6 miles wide, now extends through much of the storm. Most strong and violent tornadoes form within this area of strong rotation.
69 percent of all tornadoes Less than 5 percent of tornado deaths Lifetime 1-10+ minutes Winds less than 110 mph EF 0-1	29 percent of all tornadoes Nearly 30 percent of all tornado deaths May last 20 minutes or longer Winds 110-205 mph EF 2-3	Only 2 percent of all tornadoes 70 percent of all tornado deaths Lifetime can exceed 1 hour Winds greater than 205 mph EF 4-5

 Where should I shelter? 

Car- Never try to out run a tornado! Don't shelter under an overpass! Go to a sturdy building. If you have no other option; stay in your car with your seat belt on and duck your head lower than the windows and cover your head with your arms or a blanket 

Mobile home- Get out and find a sturdy building. 

High rise- If you cannot make it to the lowest floor, find an interior room with no windows and duck and cover. Don't go into the elevators you may be trapped if the power is lost. 

Standard home- find an interior room on the lowest floor with no windows and duck and cover. Put on your shoes and if possible a helmet, this way you don't walk on broken glass and have extra head protection.

Safety Procedures

• Develop a plan for you and your family for home, work, school and when outdoors.
• Have an emergency kit ready
• Have frequent drills.
• Know the county in which you live, and keep a highway map nearby to follow storm movement from weather bulletins.