Safe room is usually built into a closet, or any interior room in a house. It is concrete reinforced and most are built withstand F-4 tornados.

On the other hand, an underground shelter is totally separated from the house. Some can be accessed from the house, but most are installed in back yards. They all have ventilation and can be stocked with provisions for and if you are forced to stay in there overnight.

One thing to remember if you choose an underground shelter. Make sure you register with your local fire department.

If your house doesn't have a safe room, or shelter...there are still some things you can do to be as safe a you can. There are 4 things to remember when it's time to duck and cover because a tornado is bearing down.

First, getting to the ground level of your home is a must.

Second...you need to put as many walls as possible between the outside and you. Bathrooms or closets work well, just make sure there are no windows.

Thirdly...grab some blankets pillows, coats...anything will do. You just want to have some protection from debris.

Last but not least, get under something. You never know what could fall on you.

What is a Tornado Watch?
A watch is just that...a watch. It means that the conditions are perfect in the atmosphere for severe weather. The most common for us are severe thunderstorm and tornado watches.

What is a Tornado Warning?
A warning is much more serious. When a warning is issued, it means that that type of storm is present or will be moving through a certain area soon. We see many types of warnings, but the most dangerous are flash flood, severe thunderstorm and of course the most serious...tornado. One thing to note though is that just because there is a tornado warning, does not mean that there is a tornado on the ground. Radar can indicate a storm that could produce a tornado, but by chance it never does.

Quick Facts

1. Lightning kills more people on average than twisters.

2. With any thunderstorm there is almost always lightning.

3. Lightning is almost five times hotter than the sun, and can be very dangerous.

Staying Safe...

To keep your self safe there are a couple rules to remember.

- If your inside...avoid using the phone, and don't take a bath or shower.

- If caught outside during a thunderstorm. Seek shelter immediately. If no shelter is near. Look for a grove of small trees. You don't want to be near tall trees.

- Stay away from water, and if you feel your hair standing on end, squat down with your head between your knees, but don't lie flat on the ground.

Of all the Texoma counties, Comanche County and Lawton have seen the most since 1950. Comanche County's 50 tornadoes, Wichita County's 48, and Wilbarger's 38 are the highest. All the other counties have seen an average of 30 tornados in the past 54 years.

Most of the tornadoes we see each year are of the f-zero and f-one variety, but since 1950, Texoma has seen 36 f-two's. And these do significant damage. Only 24 have been f-three or higher, and most of those were f-three.

Our numbers are not the most in country but we since we do consider tornadoes a semi-common occurrence, it's no wonder we are included in tornado alley.

Severe thunderstorms are defined by their wind speed and hail size. A thunderstorm is declared severe by the NWS if wind gusts reach 58 mph or stonger -or- if hail size is three quarters of an inch or bigger. This can be indicated by radar or sighted by trained storm spotters. A thunderstorm only needs to meet one of the above criteria to be declared severe.

The National Weather Service defines tornado alley as "the area of the u.s. in which tornadoes are most frequent."

Thunderstorms thrive on lots of warm, humid air. And, the rotating thunderstorms, called supercells, that spawn the biggest tornadoes need low-level winds that shift direction and grow stronger just above the ground.

During the spring in the central plains, thunderstorms frequently develop along a "dryline" which separates very warm, moist air to the east from hot, dry air to the west.

Tornado-producing thunderstorms may form as the dryline moves east during the afternoon hours. Then, the mix is ready and time may be of the essence.