What is a tornado emergency and how is it different from a warning or a watch?

[demmiblue]

DETROIT -- The first-ever tornado emergency in Michigan was issued Tuesday, one of many called across the country in recent weeks as severe weather tears through states in the Plains and Midwest. As massive storms barrel East, homes and property have been destroyed and thousands of people have gone without power.

The National Weather Service called an emergency for areas of Michigan on Tuesday evening amid forecasts of a damaging tornado and hail. At the time, other spots in Michigan and portions of Illinois, Kentucky and Missouri were also under a tornado watch. Tuesday's severe weather followed an ugly twister that battered a small Oklahoma town and killed at least one person a day earlier.

Tornado emergencies were also called in Nebraska and Iowa late last month. During those storms, tornadoes flattened homes in suburban Omaha, Nebraska, and northeast, a small city of Minden, Iowa, also sustained damage.

Tuesday marked the 6th emergency issued in the U.S. this year. There were 15 issued in 2023.

https://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/tornado-emergency-warning-watch-110030874

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[Irish_Dem]

1. In Ohio, a warning means a tornado, funnel clouds, etc have been spotted.

A watch just means the conditions are present for rotations to appear.

We get excited (in a bad way) with warnings.
Watches we can handle.

Last night two funnel clouds were spotted 10 miles from my home.
But it was going south of me.

[RipVanWinkle]

2. Tornado watch vs warning vs emergency

https://www.weather.gov/safety/tornado-ww

Tornado Watch: Be Prepared! Tornadoes are possible in and near the watch area. Review and discuss your emergency plans and check supplies and your safe room. Be ready to act quickly if a warning is issued or you suspect a tornado is approaching. Acting early helps to save lives! Watches are issued by the Storm Prediction Center for counties where tornadoes may occur. The watch area is typically large, covering numerous counties or even states.

Tornado Warning: Take Action! A tornado has been sighted or indicated by weather radar. There is imminent danger to life and property. Move to an interior room on the lowest floor of a sturdy building. Avoid windows. If in a mobile home, a vehicle, or outdoors, move to the closest substantial shelter and protect yourself from flying debris. Warnings are issued by your local forecast office. Warnings typically encompass a much smaller area (around the size of a city or small county) that may be impacted by a tornado identified by a forecaster on radar or by a trained spotter/law enforcement who is watching the storm.

https://www.weather.gov/lzk/toremergency.htm

Today, National Weather Service directives specify that Tornado Emergencies are reserved for rare situations when:

a. Severe threat to human life is imminent or ongoing.
b. Catastrophic damage is imminent or ongoing.
c Reliable sources confirm tornado (either 1 or 2):
1. Visual.
2. Radar imagery strongly suggests the existence of a damaging tornado (a debris ball signature, for example).