As 2024 comes to a close, twisters have pummeled the South, leaving widespread destruction and casualties in their paths. Depending on where you live, you may have been issued a tornado watch or a tornado warning. But how do the two alerts differentiate?
Learn the difference between a tornado watch and a tornado warning below.
What Is a Tornado Watch?
According to the National Weather Service, a tornado watch encourages all residents in one area to prepare for a possible tornado. The NWS’ description of the alert reads, “Tornadoes are possible in and near the watch area. Review and discuss your emergency plans, take inventory of your supplies and check your safe room. Be ready to act quickly if a warning is issued or you suspect a tornado is approaching. Acting early helps to save lives! Watches are issued by the Storm Prediction Center for counties where tornadoes may occur. The watch area is typically large, covering numerous counties or even states.”
A deadly tornado outbreak in the South, with communities around Houston, Texas, experiencing significant damage, and more storms are expected across the region on Sunday. ABC News’ @Morganorwood reports from Brandon, Mississippi.https://t.co/QgAX7wRgUQ pic.twitter.com/mFiKFoWFFr
— Good Morning America (@GMA) December 29, 2024
What Is a Tornado Warning?
Per the NWS, a warning is when a tornado “has been sighted or indicated by weather radar.”
“There is imminent danger to life and property,” the site’s alert reads. “Move to an interior room on the lowest floor of a sturdy building. Avoid windows. If in a mobile home, a vehicle, or outdoors, move to the closest substantial shelter and protect yourself from flying debris. Warnings are issued by your local forecast office. Warnings typically encompass a much smaller area (around the size of a city or small county) that may be impacted by a tornado identified by a forecaster on radar or by a trained spotter/law enforcement who is watching the storm.”
Where Is the Severe Storm Watch?
Amid the December 2024 holidays, multiple tornadoes infiltrated parts of the South, including Texas and Mississippi. According to CNN, two people died from the twisters: a teenager in Natchez, Mississippi, after a tree fell on a home, and one person in Brazoria County, Texas.
The Storm Prediction Center explained that the “faster-moving northern part of a line of strong-severe thunderstorms will move northeastward across the watch area through midday, offering sporadic damaging to severe gusts and potential for a few embedded tornadoes.”
Other parts of the southeastern portion of the U.S. were issued tornado watches and warnings on December 28 and 29, 2024. Residents in the North were also warned of severe storms approaching.
