Current:Home > reviewsWhat is a tornado emergency and how is it different from a warning or a watch? -AssetScope
What is a tornado emergency and how is it different from a warning or a watch?
Surpassing Quant Think Tank Center View
Date:2025-04-09 01:31:36
DETROIT (AP) — The first-ever tornado emergency in Michigan was issued Tuesday, one of many called across the country in recent weeks as severe weather tears through states in the Plains and Midwest. As massive storms barrel East, homes and property have been destroyed and thousands of people have gone without power.
The National Weather Service called an emergency for areas of Michigan on Tuesday evening amid forecasts of a damaging tornado and hail. At the time, other spots in Michigan and portions of Illinois, Kentucky and Missouri were also under a tornado watch. Tuesday’s severe weather followed an ugly twister that battered a small Oklahoma town and killed at least one person a day earlier.
Tornado emergencies were also called in Nebraska and Iowa late last month. During those storms, tornadoes flattened homes in suburban Omaha, Nebraska, and northeast, a small city of Minden, Iowa, also sustained damage.
Tuesday marked the 6th emergency issued in the U.S. this year. There were 15 issued in 2023.
Here’s what to know about a tornado emergency:
WHAT IS A TORNADO EMERGENCY?
A tornado emergency is the weather service’s highest alert level. One is issued when a few criteria are met during a rare weather situation.
“Language like that gets people out of their chairs and into basements and storm shelters,” said Kevin Laws, a National Weather Service science and operations officer in Birmingham, Alabama. “It spurs a different kind of reaction and action that you need to really save your life in those kind of events.”
There has to be an imminent or ongoing severe threat to human life and catastrophic damage. A damaging tornado also has to be confirmed visually or with radar imagery.
“You generally reserve that designation for the worst of the worst,” Laws said.
HOW IS IT DIFFERENT FROM A TORNADO WATCH OR WARNING?
When the NWS Storm Prediction Center issues a tornado watch for an area, it means tornado development is possible and people in the area should be prepared to respond quickly if a warning gets issued. It’s a “heads up,” Laws said, roughly up to 10 hours in advance of the storm.
The watch area typically covers a lot of ground, such as several counties or even multiple states, the weather service said.
When a tornado warning is issued by local forecast offices, the weather radar indicates a tornado is coming, or it’s been seen already. People in the area need to act because there is “imminent danger to life and property,” according to the NWS. This could mean moving to a substantial shelter on the lowest floor possible, and quickly avoiding windows.
Warnings typically encompass a much smaller area, such as the size of a city or small county, that may be hit by a tornado.
WHEN WAS THE FIRST EMERGENCY ISSUED?
The tornado emergency designation first came about when a large and destructive tornado hit Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, on May 3, 1999, per the weather service.
It was called because the storm was expected to be too severe for the tornado warning, already in effect, to be considered sufficient language to alert people.
The “emergency” name was not yet formalized, but was used again during a storm impacting Greensburg, Kansas, on May 4, 2007.
Five tornado emergencies were issued in Tennessee and Alabama during the Super Tuesday tornado outbreak on February 5, 2008, according to the weather service. When one wasn’t issued in Arkansas during similarly dangerous weather, the designation was codified and became recognized officially.
According to Laws, 296 emergencies have been called since 1999 (both before and after the designation was formalized).
WHAT SHOULD YOU DO IF A TORNADO EMERGENCY IS ISSUED IN YOUR AREA?
People should call friends and family to ensure loved ones are keeping watch on the weather.
“Don’t ever try to get in the car and outrun it... You need to shelter in place,” Laws said. “You’ve got to have a plan ahead of time.
“Don’t wait until that last ten minutes, because you feel panicked and you don’t know where the tornado is and where it’s coming from.”
___
Alexa St. John is an Associated Press climate solutions reporter. Follow her on X: @alexa_stjohn. Reach her at [email protected].
___
The Associated Press’ climate and environmental coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP’s standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org.
veryGood! (63)
Related
- California DMV apologizes for license plate that some say mocks Oct. 7 attack on Israel
- Neighbor held in disappearance of couple from California nudist resort. Both believed to be dead
- Fantasy author Brandon Sanderson breaks another Kickstarter record with Cosmere RPG
- Jessica Biel and Son Silas Timberlake Serve Up Adorable Bonding Moment in Rare Photo at U.S. Open
- Warm inflation data keep S&P 500, Dow, Nasdaq under wraps before Fed meeting next week
- Dancing With the Stars Alum Cheryl Burke Addresses Artem Chigvintsev’s Arrest
- Group sues Texas over law banning state business with firms “boycotting” fossil fuels
- Do dogs dream? It's no surprise – the answer is pretty cute.
- Finally, good retirement news! Southwest pilots' plan is a bright spot, experts say
- Pregnant Lindsay Hubbard Shares Revelation on Carl Radke Relationship One Year After Split
Ranking
- Former Syrian official arrested in California who oversaw prison charged with torture
- Stock market today: Wall Street rises as inflation report confirms price increases are cooling
- Catholic diocese sues US government, worried some foreign-born priests might be forced to leave
- Stock market today: Wall Street rises as inflation report confirms price increases are cooling
- At site of suspected mass killings, Syrians recall horrors, hope for answers
- NFL, owners are forcing Tom Brady into his first difficult call
- Step Inside Jana Duggar and Husband Stephen Wissmann’s Fixer Upper Home
- Watch Travis Kelce annoy Christian McCaffrey in new Lowe's ad ahead of NFL season
Recommendation
Juan Soto praise of Mets' future a tough sight for Yankees, but World Series goal remains
Step Inside Jana Duggar and Husband Stephen Wissmann’s Fixer Upper Home
Farmers in 6 Vermont counties affected by flooding can apply for emergency loans
Are banks, post offices, UPS and FedEx open on Labor Day? Here's what to know
See you latte: Starbucks plans to cut 30% of its menu
Jewish students at Columbia faced hostile environment during pro-Palestinian protests, report finds
Patrick Mahomes: Taylor Swift is so interested in football that she's 'drawing up plays'
'DWTS' pro dancer Artem Chigvintsev arrested on domestic violence charge