Weather & Natural Hazards
Tornadoes & severe storms
Missouri sees its share of tornadoes and violent storms — but the people who get hurt are usually the ones caught without a plan. A few clear habits, decided ahead of time, keep almost everyone safe.
Know the season, know the words
When they come — and what to listen for
Tornadoes are most common in spring (March through May), with a smaller bump in fall — but Missouri has had tornadoes in every month, including winter. They strike most often in the afternoon and evening, but NIGHT tornadoes happen and are especially deadly, because people are asleep and can't see them coming. That's exactly why a NOAA Weather Radio that wakes you matters.
Tornado Watch means be ready — conditions are right, so review where you'll shelter. Tornado Warning means take shelter immediately — a tornado is happening or about to.
Where to shelter
Get low, get to the middle, get away from windows
Get to the lowest floor you can. A basement or a purpose-built storm shelter is best. If you don't have one, go to a small interior room on the lowest floor — a closet, bathroom, or hallway — as close to the center of the building and as far from every window as you can get, and cover your head and neck with your arms, a blanket, or a helmet.
Avoid large open rooms with wide roofs — gymnasiums, auditoriums, cafeterias, warehouses, and big-box stores. Wide roofs fail first. If you're caught in one, move to a smaller interior room, an interior hallway, or a restroom away from the open span.
Take shelter now
Where to shelter from a tornado
Find where you are, then follow that row. The goal is always the same: get low, get to the middle, and put as many walls between you and the outside as you can.
- A house with a basement
- Go to the basement. Get under a sturdy workbench, table, or stairwell, away from windows, and cover your head and neck.
- A house with no basement
- Go to a small interior room on the lowest floor — a closet, bathroom, or hallway — at the center of the house, away from all windows. Cover your head and neck.
- An apartment or upper floor
- Get to the lowest floor you can reach quickly (a neighbor's first-floor unit, an interior hallway, or stairwell), then an interior room away from windows. Don't use the elevator.
- A mobile or manufactured home
- Leave early for a sturdy building — they offer almost no protection even when tied down. Know your destination before the season.
- A school, workplace, or large building
- Follow the building's plan: interior hallways and small rooms on the lowest floor. Avoid gyms, cafeterias, and auditoriums — wide roofs fail.
- In a vehicle
- Drive to a sturdy building and shelter inside if you safely can. Never use an overpass. If you can't reach shelter, use the NWS last resort: stay belted with your head below the windows, or lie in a spot clearly lower than the road (never one that floods).
- Caught outside with no shelter
- Get to the nearest sturdy building fast. If there's truly nothing, lie flat in the lowest spot you can find, away from trees and vehicles, and cover your head and neck — but a building is always better.
If you're driving
A car is the last place you want to be
If you're driving, the best move is to get to a sturdy building and shelter inside — if you can reach one safely without racing the storm. Do NOT try to outrun a tornado in traffic, and NEVER shelter under a highway overpass: wind speeds up underneath and debris funnels through, making it more dangerous, not less. If no sturdy shelter is reachable, the National Weather Service gives two last resorts: either stay in the vehicle with your seat belt on, get your head down below the windows, and cover your head and neck; or, only if you can get to a spot clearly lower than the roadway that won't collect water, lie face-down there and cover your head and neck.
Leave a mobile home early
Don't ride it out — go before the warning
Leave a mobile or manufactured home EARLY for a sturdy building — even a tied-down mobile home offers almost no protection from a tornado. Know before the season starts where you'll go and how long it takes to get there.
Two myths to forget
These two ideas can get you killed
The overpass myth
Myth, corrected: a highway overpass is one of the worst places to shelter, not a safe one. Wind accelerates in the gap and debris blows through. Never use one.
The open-windows myth
Myth, corrected: do NOT open your windows before a tornado. The old idea that it 'equalizes pressure' is false — it does nothing useful and wastes time you need to get to shelter.
What "severe" means
It's not just tornadoes
A storm is 'severe' when it has winds of 58 mph or more and/or hail at least 1 inch across (quarter-size). A Severe Thunderstorm Warning can carry damaging wind and big hail, so take it seriously — and watch for the 'Destructive' tag.
A "Destructive" warning is a phone-buzzing warning
A Severe Thunderstorm Warning marked 'Destructive' means winds of 80 mph or more, or hail 2.75 inches or larger — as dangerous as some tornadoes. It automatically triggers a Wireless Emergency Alert on phones in the area. Treat it that seriously: move inside to an interior room, away from windows, and protect yourself from flying glass and falling debris.
Missouri's hard lessons
Why we take this seriously
Missouri knows the worst of this firsthand. On May 22, 2011, an EF5 tornado tore through Joplin, killing about 158 people (some official Missouri counts put it at 161) and injuring more than a thousand — the deadliest single U.S. tornado since modern records began in 1950.
And it's not just history: 2025 was Missouri's deadliest tornado year since 2011, with 16 lives lost (reported by the State Emergency Management Agency, February 2026).
Night tornadoes are the deadliest, because they strike while you sleep. Make sure a warning can reach you — see getting alerts, and get a NOAA Weather Radio that will wake you for a tornado you'd otherwise sleep through.
Tornado questions people ask first
What is the quick difference between a watch and a warning?
A watch means conditions are right, so get ready and keep alerts close. A warning means a tornado or severe storm threat is happening or expected soon, so take shelter now.
Where is the best room in a house?
Go to the lowest floor, then choose a small interior room away from windows. A basement, storm shelter, interior bathroom, closet, or hallway is usually better than a large room with outside walls.
Should I stop under an overpass?
No. An overpass is not a safe tornado shelter. It can funnel wind and flying debris, and it can block traffic for other people trying to get out of danger.
What if I live in a mobile home?
Pick a sturdier shelter before storms arrive and leave early when a watch or serious storm setup gives you time. Do not wait for the warning if travel will take a few minutes.
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