What to Do During a Tornado
If you are under a tornado WARNING, seek shelter immediately!
| If you are in: | Then: |
|---|---|
| A structure (e.g. residence, small building, school, nursing home, hospital, factory, shopping center, high-rise building) | Go to a pre-designated shelter area such as a safe room, basement, storm cellar, or the lowest building level. If there is no basement, go to the center of an interior room on the lowest level (closet, interior hallway) away from corners, windows, doors, and outside walls. Put as many walls as possible between you and the outside. Get under a sturdy table and use your arms to protect your head and neck. Do not open windows. |
| A vehicle, trailer, or mobile home | Get out immediately and go to the lowest floor of a sturdy, nearby building or a storm shelter. Mobile homes, even if tied down, offer little protection from tornadoes. |
| The outside with no shelter | Lie flat in a nearby ditch or depression and cover your head with your
hands. Be aware of the potential for flooding. Do not get under an overpass or bridge. You are safer in a low, flat location. Never try to outrun a tornado in urban or congested areas in a car or truck. Instead, leave the vehicle immediately for safe shelter. Watch out for flying debris. Flying debris from tornadoes causes most fatalities and injuries. |
Tornadoes come in all shapes and sizes and can occur anywhere in the U.S. at any time of the year. In the southern states, peak tornado season is March through May, while peak months in the northern states are during the summer.
Fujita Scale |
||
| F0 | Gale | < 72 mph |
| F1 | Moderate | 73 to 112 mph |
| F2 | Significant | 113 to 157 mph |
| F3 | Severe | 158 to 206 mph |
| F4 | Devasting | 207 to 260 mph |
| F5 | Incredible | > 260 mph |
| F0 | Gale | (40-72 mph); light damage. Some damage to chimneys; break branches off trees; push over shallow-rooted trees; damage to sign boards. |
| F1 | Moderate | (73-112 mph); moderate damage. The lower limit is the beginning of hurricane wind speed; peel surface off roofs; mobile homes pushed off foundations or overturned; moving autos pushed off the roads. |
| F2 | Significant | (113-157 mph); considerable damage. roofs torn off frame houses; mobile homes demolished; boxcars pushed over; large trees snapped or uprooted; light-object missiles generated. |
| F3 | Severe | (158-206 mph); Severe damage. Roofs and some walls torn off well-constructed houses; trains overturned; most trees in forest uprooted; heavy cars lifted off ground and thrown. |
| F4 | Devasting | (207-260 mph); Devastating damage. Well-constructed houses leveled; structure with weak foundation blown off some distance; cars thrown and large missiles generated. |
| F5 | Incredible | (261-318 mph); Incredible damage. Strong frame houses lifted off foundations and carried considerable distance to disintegrate; automobile sized missiles fly through the air in excess of 100 yards; trees debarked; incredible phenomena will occur. |