evere Thunderstorm Watches 
Severe thunderstorm watches are issued by the National Severe Storms Prediction Center in Norman, Oklahoma. Often severe thunderstorm watches are issued several hours before the thunderstorms even form. Watches are issued when the NSSPC believes that conditions are favorable for severe thunderstorms to occur. Watches will usually cover a fairly large land area and will last for several hours. 

evere Thunderstorm Warnings 
Severe thunderstorm warnings are issued by the National Weather Service in your area. Warnings are given for a particular county, or parts of a county. The National Weather Service issues warnings when it believes that a particular thunderstorm has the characteristics to be considered severe. This kind of information may be obtained by Doppler radar indications, or by public officials and trained spotters out in the field. 

Warnings will only be issued when the severe thunderstorm is occurring in or is about to enter a specific county. They will usually be in effect for a short period of time - however long they estimate the storm will take to move through your particular area. 

eography 
Any area that has experiences a lot of humidity and daytime heating is likely to have thunderstorms and thunderstorm watches. The Amazon Basin in Brazil, the Congo Basin of equatorial Africa, the islands of Indonesia, and the west coast of southern Florida have the greatest number of thunderstorms during the year because of their perfect conditions. Each location has more than 100 days of thunderstorm activity in an average year. 

hunderstorm Safety 
If you are in an area where a severe thunderstorm warning has been issued, follow these safety guidelines to protect yourself, or your goose may be cooked. 
• Seek shelter immediately. 
• Avoid using household appliances. 
• Avoid taking a bath or shower. 
• If you're caught outside, find a low spot away from trees, fences or poles. Tall and metallic objects attract lightning. 
• Stay away from water. 
• Stay away from power lines. 
• Be prepared for flash floods, large hail, lightning or dangerous wind to develop. 
• If severe winds or tornadoes are threatening, go to the basement of your house. If you don't have a basement, go to an interior room with no windows. 
• Stay away from windows.