What to do in a tornado warning
TORNADO SAFETY
Where to shelter in a house, apartment, mobile home, school or car, what to avoid, and how to be ready before the next warning.
Reviewed October 4, 2026. Sources are listed at the end of the page.
The short answer
Go to shelter immediately: a basement, safe room, or interior room on the lowest floor with no windows. Protect your head and neck. Do not stay in a mobile home, and never shelter under a highway overpass. Stay put until the warning for your location expires.
Do this the moment a warning is issued
- Go to your shelter now. Do not wait to see or hear the tornado. Many tornadoes are wrapped in rain or arrive at night.
- Get as low and as far inside as you can: a basement, storm shelter or safe room, or an interior room on the lowest floor with no windows.
- Protect your head and neck. Wear shoes and a helmet if you have one. Cover up with a mattress, sleeping bag or thick blankets.
- Keep getting updates from a NOAA Weather Radio, your phone or live radar until the warning expires.
Where to shelter, by building
| Where you are | Best option | Avoid |
|---|---|---|
| House | Basement or safe room. Without one: an interior room, closet or bathroom on the lowest floor | Rooms with windows, the top floor, garages |
| Apartment or high-rise | The lowest floor you can reach quickly, in an interior hallway or stairwell away from windows | Upper floors, elevators, glass-walled lobbies |
| Mobile or manufactured home | Leave before the storm for a sturdy building you picked ahead of time, such as a friend’s house, church or community shelter | Staying inside. Mobile homes are not safe shelter, even when tied down |
| Work, school or store | The building’s tornado shelter area, or an interior hallway on the lowest floor | Gyms, cafeterias, auditoriums and other large open rooms |
| Car | Drive to the closest sturdy shelter if you can get there safely | Hiding under a highway overpass |
| Outside, no shelter nearby | Get into the nearest sturdy building. If there is none, lie in a low spot and cover your head | Sheds, tents, trees and vehicles if a sturdier option is close |
If you are caught in a car
The National Weather Service says to drive to the closest shelter if you can. If you cannot make it, either get down in your car and cover your head, or leave the car and get into a low-lying area such as a ditch, covering your head with your arms. Never shelter under a highway overpass: wind speeds up as it funnels underneath, and debris has nowhere to go.
If you live in a mobile home
Plan this before storm season. Pick a sturdy building you can reach in a few minutes, such as a neighbor’s house, a church or a community storm shelter, and go there when a Tornado Watch is issued, not when the warning comes. During a warning there may not be enough time to get there safely.
Before the next warning
- Pick your shelter spot today and practice getting there, including with kids and pets.
- Keep shoes, a flashlight, a helmet and a whistle in your shelter spot. Our storm prep checklist has the full list.
- Have more than one way to get warnings. Keep Wireless Emergency Alerts on, add a NOAA Weather Radio, and make sure alerts can wake you up.
Questions people ask
Where is the safest place in a house during a tornado?
A basement, storm shelter or safe room. Without one, use a small interior room on the lowest floor with no windows, such as a closet or bathroom, and cover your head.
Should I open windows during a tornado?
No. Opening windows wastes time and does not protect the house. Spend that time getting to shelter.
Is it safe to stay in a mobile home during a tornado warning?
No. Mobile and manufactured homes are not safe shelter. Leave for a sturdy building you picked ahead of time, ideally when a Tornado Watch is issued.
Can I shelter under a highway overpass?
No. Overpasses can speed up the wind and offer no protection from flying debris. Drive to a sturdy building if you can, or get low in a ditch and cover your head.
How long should I stay in my shelter?
Stay until the Tornado Warning for your location expires or is canceled, and keep checking for new warnings, since storms can produce more than one tornado.
Keep reading
Sources
- National Weather Service, During a tornado.
- National Weather Service, Prepare for a tornado.
- National Weather Service, Tornado Watch vs. Warning.