Be weather aware

Spring in Oklahoma means the beginning of an interesting weather season. Like other states that have the potential for severe weather, here in Oklahoma, we are pretty well prepared for what Mother Nature might throw our way. While damaging, extreme weather events are rare, they do occasionally happen. Keep you and your family safe with these tips from News 9 and the City of OKC.

First, know the difference between a severe weather watch and severe weather warning. A watch means meteorologists are monitoring an area for the formation of a specific type of threat; a warning means specific life and property-threatening conditions are occurring and imminent.

A storm shelter is the best place to be during a severe storm or tornado. If you don’t have access to a shelter, a basement or interior room of a house is the next best place. Put as many walls between you and the outside as possible and stay away from windows and doors.

If a tornado warning is issued for your area and you find yourself in a car, leave your vehicle immediately and seek shelter.

• Never try to outrun a tornado. Your car or pickup will offer no protection. It is impossible to know which direction a tornado may decide to go.
• If you are caught in the open, with no indoor buildings available to you, find a ditch, ravine or low-lying area and lie flat.
• DO NOT take shelter under an underpass or bridge. It is not safe since it can leave you exposed to flying debris. Flying debris is the greatest danger.
• Do not seek shelter in a mobile home. These structures, even if tied down, offer little protection from tornadoes and should be abandoned.

Stay aware of the weather by paying attention to sources like local television stations, radio, online news sources and apps. You should always have a battery-powered or hand-cranked NOAA Weather radio in your disaster kit as a backup, and don't forget extra batteries.