Signs of a Tornado: 10 Clues One May Be Coming

What Are the Signs of a Tornado ?

How do you know if a tornado is coming?

Here are 10 visual and audible warning signs associated with a tornado that may be forming or coming near your location.

Do not wait to see or hear these signs before taking shelter. Tornadoes may be hidden by heavy rain, low clouds, terrain, or darkness, and some provide little visible warning. If a Tornado Warning is issued for your location, go to your safe place immediately.

Tornado Watch: Tornadoes are possible. Stay alert and be ready to reach your safe place.
Tornado Warning: A tornado has been sighted or indicated by radar. Take shelter immediately.

Looking for today’s tornado risk? Check current National Weather Service alerts and the Storm Prediction Center outlook for your area.

Rotating Cloud Base

1. Persistent, organized rotation in the storm base or wall cloud is a serious tornado warning sign, even when the rotation appears slow. It can indicate a rotating thunderstorm capable of producing a tornado.

Wall Cloud

2. A wall cloud, sometimes called a pedestal cloud, is a localized lowering attached to the rain-free base of a thunderstorm. A wall cloud may be a tornado sign, especially when it is rotating, although many wall clouds never produce tornadoes.

Rotating Dust or Debris

3. One unmistakable sign of a tornado is organized, rotating dust or debris at ground level beneath a thunderstorm. It confirms that a tornado is on the ground, even if no condensation funnel is visible. Do not confuse it with an ordinary dust devil or a nonrotating gust-front dust cloud. Treat organized rotating debris beneath a storm base as an immediate danger.

Sudden Stop | Eerily Quiet

4. Heavy rain or hail may abruptly diminish and be followed by an unusual calm, a possible sign of a nearby tornado circulation, including one hidden by rain. However, this change does not confirm a tornado by itself.

Intense Wind Shift

5. A sudden, forceful wind shift after the calm is another danger signal and potential tornado sign. Take shelter rather than going outside to investigate.

Greenish Sky

6. A dark or greenish sky can be a sign of a powerful thunderstorm, particularly one containing large amounts of water and ice. Scientists do not fully agree on why some severe storms make the sky appear green, although one theory involves light interacting with water and ice in the storm. A green sky may be a sign of hail or severe weather, but it is not a reliable sign that a tornado is forming, and many tornadoes occur without one.

Very Large Hail

7. Large hail, especially golf-ball-sized hail or larger, is a sign of a powerful severe thunderstorm. It can occur with supercells capable of producing tornadoes, although hail alone does not mean that a tornado is present. If unusually large hail is falling, stay indoors and monitor warnings closely.

Continuous Roar

8. A loud, continuous roar or rumble, sometimes compared with a freight train, waterfall, or jet engine, may be a sign that a tornado or destructive winds are very close. Some describe the sound as a simultaneous lower-pitched roar (train rumble) and a higher frequency “whine” (like a low-flying jet). Unlike thunder, it may not fade quickly. By the time a tornado can be heard, it may be extremely close. Bear in mind that straight-line winds and hail can also create a tremendous roar, so sound alone cannot confirm a tornado.

👉 Tornado Sound Audio Of What A Real One Sounds Like

Debris Falling from the Sky

9. Leaves, insulation, roofing material, paper, or other debris falling from an otherwise stormy sky may be a sign that a tornado is occurring somewhere nearby or upwind. Take shelter immediately; do not go outside to determine where it came from.

Power Flashes at Night

10. At night, repeated blue-green or white flashes near ground level may be a sign of destructive winds or a nearby tornado. These power flashes can be caused by damaged electrical lines or equipment, but they do not prove that a tornado is present. Lightning may briefly silhouette a tornado or cloud lowering, but never go outside to look for it.

Signs a Tornado Is Coming at Night

Tornado signs are much harder to recognize at night. Watch for repeated power flashes near the ground, listen for a continuous roar that does not fade like thunder, and be alert for sudden wind shifts or debris striking the house.

Never go outside to look for a tornado. Depend on a NOAA Weather Radio, phone alerts, and local warnings while you sleep.

Where Should You Go in Your House During a Tornado?

Underground

The best protection is a safe room built to FEMA criteria or a storm shelter meeting ICC 500 standards. Properly designed shelters may be underground or above ground.

Otherwise, go to the interior part of the basement. Avoid sheltering directly beneath heavy furniture, appliances, or other large objects on the floor above.

A bicycle, sports, or motorcycle helmet may provide additional head protection, but do not delay taking shelter while searching for one. A helmet is not a substitute for proper shelter.

No Basement?

Avoid windows. Go to the lowest floor, small center room (like a bathroom or closet), under a stairwell, or in an interior hallway with no windows.

Crouch as low as possible to the floor, facing down; and cover your head with your hands.

A bathtub may provide some additional protection from debris, but only when the bathroom is already one of the safest available locations, preferably small, interior, windowless, and on the lowest floor.

Even in an interior room, you should cover yourself with some sort of thick padding (mattress, blankets, etc.), to protect against falling debris in case the roof and ceiling fail.

Put as many walls as possible between yourself and the outdoors. Protect your head and neck, and if possible get beneath a sturdy table or workbench and cover yourself with blankets, a sleeping bag, or a mattress.

Mobile-home Warning

A manufactured or mobile home is not a safe tornado shelter, even when tied down. Arrange beforehand to reach a nearby sturdy building or designated storm shelter whenever tornadoes are possible.

Be Smart. Have a Weather Alert Radio!

A NOAA Weather Radio can be especially valuable for receiving warnings overnight:

→ Midland NOAA Weather Alert Radio (Amazon)

👉 Midland WR400 Weather Alert Radio Review

Use more than one way to receive warnings: a properly programmed NOAA Weather Radio, Wireless Emergency Alerts on your phone, a trusted weather app, and local radio or television. Outdoor sirens are mainly intended to warn people who are outside and may not be heard indoors.

👉 Tornado Alley, Tornado Facts, and How They Form

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👉 NOAA Radio Frequencies Near Me (Map & List)

 
Let’s hear your own tornado stories.