The first thing you'll need to do is learn the difference between a tornado watch and a tornado warning:

Tornado watch:

Issued by the National Weather Service when weather conditions make tornadoes likely. Now is the time to remind your family about the safest place in your home. Turn on a radio or television and listen for further announcements. Since tornado prediction is an inexact science, don't expect a lot of warning.

Tornado warning:

Issued when a tornado has been sighted (visually or on radar). The danger is serious and everyone should go to a safe place, turn on a battery-operated radio and wait for instructions.

That sounds so simple. But where's safe?
The watchword in tornado safety is down. If your house has a basement, get there. If not, look for an interior room, like a closet or bathroom. In either case, try to hide under a sturdy piece of furniture and protect your head and neck with your arms.

If you're in a mobile home, the advice is different. You should leave mobile homes, heading to a shelter or basement if possible. If these are not available, go to a ditch or depression in the ground. Mobile homes have a disastrous tendency to collapse or leave the ground during a tornado, as shown in the photo above.

Here's the official word from the Federal Emergency Management Agency on self-protection under the storm.

Now for advice on strengthening your home against ferocious winds.

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This lesson created by "The Why Files," a NISE project funded by the NSF. Lesson used by permission. Original lesson and graphics copyright NISE. Modifications copyright BPNM.
Photo courtesy James McDonald.