Severe Thunderstorm Warning: What to Do Right Now

A Severe Thunderstorm Warning is the National Weather Service telling you a dangerous storm is happening now or is about to. NWS issues one when radar or a trained spotter indicates a storm producing winds of at least 58 mph and/or hail at least 1 inch in diameter, roughly the size of a quarter. It is not a heads-up for later. It means take cover now.

That is the key difference between a watch and a warning. A Severe Thunderstorm Watch means conditions are favorable and you should stay alert over the next several hours. A warning means the threat is confirmed and close, usually for about an hour.

Do not let the word “thunderstorm” fool you. A warned storm is dangerous in several ways at once:

• Damaging straight-line winds: Winds of 58 mph and up can reach 100 mph, and short, intense bursts can do the same damage as a weak (EF0 to EF1) tornado, snapping trees and peeling off roofs.
• Large hail: Stones an inch or bigger fall hard enough to shatter windows, dent vehicles, and injure anyone caught outside.
• Deadly lightning: Every thunderstorm makes lightning, and it can strike more than 10 miles from the rain, well ahead of the storm.
• Flash flooding: Heavy downpours can put water over roads in minutes, especially in low spots and underpasses.
• Sudden tornadoes: Severe storms can spin up a tornado with little or no notice, so take the storm seriously even before any tornado warning is issued.

Move first, watch the radar second. The safest place is inside a sturdy building, and you want to be there before the wind and hail arrive, not after.

• Get inside now: Move into a sturdy, fully enclosed building. A car, porch, carport, shed, or tent will not protect you from high wind, hail, or lightning.
• Go to the lowest floor: Head to an interior room on the lowest level, away from exterior walls and doors.
• Stay away from windows: Wind-driven hail and debris turn glass into a hazard. Put solid walls between you and the outside.
• Don’t drive into it: Do not try to outrun or push through a severe storm. Blinding rain, hail, and downed power lines make roads deadly. Pull over somewhere safe or delay the trip.
• Avoid wiring and plumbing: Stay off corded electronics and out of the shower during the storm. Lightning can travel through a building’s wiring and pipes.
• Take it seriously without a tornado warning: A Severe Thunderstorm Warning on its own can bring tornado-level wind damage. Treat it like the emergency it is.

The whole game is time: getting the warning for your exact spot with enough margin to move inside. Official NWS warnings can cover a large area, so a storm may be minutes from your street while the alert still reads as county-wide.

ZoneWatch helps close that gap. It tracks storms in real time on high-resolution radar and sends hyper-local alerts for your saved locations, with 10-, 25-, and 50-mile zones, showing lightning, hail, and wind as the cell moves toward you. You get the warning for your exact location while there is still time to bring everyone inside. The National Weather Service issues the official warnings. ZoneWatch helps you see it coming and act in time.