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What to Do in a Tornado: Where to Shelter at Home, Work, in a Car or a Mobile Home

By Twisters.us · Updated · How we count

Minutes matter when a tornado warning is issued. Here is where to go wherever you are, following National Weather Service and Ready.gov guidance.

Nothing guarantees safety in a tornado. These steps, from the National Weather Service and Ready.gov, give you the best chance.

At home

  • Go to a basement, storm cellar or safe room if you have one.
  • No basement: go to a small interior room on the lowest floor (a closet, bathroom or hallway) away from windows and outside walls. Put as many walls between you and the outside as you can.
  • Get under something sturdy, and cover your head and neck with your arms, a mattress, blankets or a helmet. Wear sturdy shoes.

In a mobile or manufactured home

Get out. Mobile homes, even tied down, offer little protection. Go to a sturdy building or a community storm shelter before the storm arrives, as soon as a watch is issued for your area or storms are approaching.

At work or school

Follow the building’s plan. Go to the designated interior area on the lowest floor; stay out of large open rooms such as gyms, cafeterias and auditoriums.

In a car or outdoors

There is no safe option. If you can, drive to a sturdy building. If you are caught by flying debris, park, stay in the car with your seat belt on and your head below the windows covered with your hands or a blanket, or, if you can safely get noticeably lower than the road, lie in that area covering your head. Never shelter under a highway overpass.

Before storm season

  1. Know your county and the tornado history where you live.
  2. Pick your safe spot and practice getting there with everyone in the house, including pets.
  3. Set up two ways to get warnings, including a NOAA Weather Radio.
  4. Keep shoes, a flashlight, a whistle, a charged phone and a helmet near your shelter.
  5. If you have no good shelter, consider a safe room or storm shelter.

After the tornado

Watch for downed power lines and gas leaks, wear sturdy shoes and gloves, and use flashlights, not candles. Let family know you are safe.

Sources

Sources last checked 1 November 2026.

Frequently asked questions

Where is the safest place in a house during a tornado?

A basement or safe room. Without one, a small windowless interior room on the lowest floor, covering your head and neck.

Is a bathtub safe in a tornado?

A bathtub in an interior bathroom on the lowest floor is a reasonable spot if you have nothing better; cover yourself with a mattress or blankets.

Should I open windows during a tornado?

No. It wastes time and does not reduce damage. Get to shelter.

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