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ND 2024 Severe Summer Weather Awareness Week: Tornados

Tornado information from the National Weather Service Bismarck, ND, Weather Forecast Office for the 2024 North Dakota Severe Summer Weather Awareness Week: April 22–26

Tornado Sheltering Guidelines

Seek the best available refuge area immediately when a Tornado Warning is issued. Your change of surviving a tornado is excellent if you follow these guidelines.

Best Options For Shelter

👍 Stay in place until all clear

  • Above or below ground Tornado Storm Shelter (NSSA/ICC 500 compliant) *
  • Specifically-designed FEMA Safe Room *

* Recommended by FEMA

Good Options For Shelter

👍 Stay in place until all clear

  • Interior room of a well-constructed home or building
  • Basement

Bad Options For Shelter

⚠️ Find another option

  • Large open rooms like gymnasiums
  • Manufactured housing

Worst Options For Shelter

⚠️ Find another option

  • Mobile homes
  • Vehicles
  • Underneath a highway overpass

Tornado Terminology

Tornado Watch
Weather conditions could lead to the formation of severe storms and tornadoes.

ℹ️ BE PREPARED: Know your safe location. Be ready to act quickly if a Warning is issued or you suspect a tornado is approaching.

Tornado Warning
A tornado has been spotted or indicated by weather radar, meaning a tornado is occurring or expected soon.

⚠️ TAKE ACTION: There is imminent danger to life and property. Immediately seek refuge in the safest location possible.

Tornado Emergency
An exceedingly rare situation with a severe threat to human life and catastrophic damage due to a confirmed violent tornado.

⚠️ TAKE ACTION: There is imminent danger to life and property. Immediately seek refuge in the safest location possible.

Tornado Safety Tips

If in a building, go to the basement if one is available. Get under the stairs or a piece of sturdy furniture. If there is no basement, get to the innermost room on the lowest level, putting as many walls as possible between you and the outside. Protect your head, neck and spine.

Stay away from windows! Avoid seeking shelter in gymnasiums or large auditoriums.

If in a mobile home, seek a storm shelter or a nearby permanent building. Have a plan! 40% of tornado deaths occur in mobile homes.

If you are outside and cannot get inside a sturdy structure, lay down in a ditch or low lying area (beware of possible flooding).

When driving, if a tornado is spotted in the distance, stay calm and drive away from it. However, in heavy traffic, never try to outrun a tornado. Seek shelter in a sturdy building. If no building is available, lay down in a ditch or low lying area.

ℹ️ Originally published at https://www.weather.gov/bis/nd_summer_2