Texas weather can change quickly, and preparation looks different in the Panhandle, along the Gulf Coast, in Central Texas, and across the state’s cities and rural communities. This reusable checklist explains what to do before, during, and after tornadoes, hurricanes, flooding, extreme heat, and winter weather, with English-Spanish safety terms, household and vehicle steps, and a practical process for checking official alerts, roads, shelters, and utility updates.
Overview
The best time to prepare for severe weather is before a warning is issued. Start with three questions: How will I receive an alert? Where will my household go? and How will we communicate if phone service, electricity, or travel is disrupted?
Weather risks vary by location and season. Tornadoes can affect communities far from the coast, tropical systems can bring wind and flooding well inland, and heavy rain can make roads dangerous even when skies are clear nearby. Summer heat can threaten people, pets, vehicles, and outdoor workers, while winter storms can create problems through freezing temperatures, ice, power interruptions, and unsafe travel.
Keep a written version of your plan in an easy-to-reach place. Store important phone numbers, medications, identification, insurance information, emergency contacts, and copies of essential documents in a waterproof container or secure digital location. If someone in your household uses a mobility device, refrigerated medicine, oxygen, or other electricity-dependent equipment, include a backup plan and identify the support needed during an outage.
Weather terms in English and Spanish
| English | Español | Practical meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Watch | Vigilancia | Conditions may become dangerous. Review your plan and stay informed. |
| Warning | Advertencia | Dangerous weather is occurring or imminent. Take protective action now. |
| Tornado | Tornado | A rotating column of air that can cause severe, localized damage. |
| Flash flood | Inundación repentina | Rapidly rising water can cover roads and low areas with little notice. |
| Evacuation route | Ruta de evacuación | A planned way to leave an unsafe area; routes may change during an event. |
| Shelter | Refugio | A location providing protection or temporary assistance during an emergency. |
| Power outage | Corte de electricidad | Loss of electricity that may affect cooling, heating, communications, and water. |
Checklist by scenario
Before any severe weather
- Sign up for emergency notifications from your county, city, or other local authority, and enable wireless emergency alerts on your phone.
- Follow the National Weather Service office serving your area and check local emergency management updates during an active threat.
- Identify a safe interior location away from windows. Know how to reach it from bedrooms, workplaces, schools, and frequently visited outdoor areas.
- Prepare water, shelf-stable food, required medicines, first-aid supplies, flashlights, batteries, phone charging equipment, hygiene items, masks, sturdy shoes, and pet supplies.
- Keep cash, fuel, and essential documents available without relying on internet access or a working payment terminal.
- Choose an out-of-area contact and agree on a short check-in message. Text messages may be more practical than repeated calls when networks are busy.
- Check on neighbors, relatives, and coworkers who may need transportation, language assistance, or help receiving alerts.
Tornadoes and severe thunderstorms
When a tornado warning or immediate severe-weather alert applies to your location, move indoors promptly. Go to a small interior room, hallway, or other protected area on the lowest practical level, away from windows and exterior doors. Protect your head and neck with your arms, a helmet, mattress, or sturdy covering. Do not stop to watch the storm, and do not depend on a vehicle for protection when a safe building is nearby.
Afterward, avoid downed power lines, damaged structures, broken glass, gas odors, and flooded streets. Use official updates to learn whether roads, schools, workplaces, or public buildings are open. Do not enter a damaged building until it has been declared safe by the responsible authorities.
Hurricanes and coastal storms
Residents and visitors near the coast should monitor the forecast early because preparation, travel, and evacuation decisions take time. Know whether your address is in an evacuation area and identify at least two routes inland. Do not choose a route based only on a map from a previous storm; check current local instructions, road closures, traffic conditions, and shelter information.
Before leaving, secure loose outdoor items, protect important documents, charge devices, and tell a trusted contact where you are going. If officials direct an evacuation, follow the instruction and bring medicines, identification, water, food, chargers, pet supplies, and mobility equipment. Never drive through water or around barricades.
Flooding and heavy rain
Move to higher ground before water rises. Avoid low-water crossings, underpasses, drainage channels, and roads covered by water. The depth and condition of floodwater are difficult to judge, and moving water can hide damaged pavement, debris, or electrical hazards. If water is entering a building, move to a safer level only if the route is clear and follow emergency instructions.
Keep flood insurance and homeowners or renters insurance information accessible, but do not assume every policy covers every type of water damage. Review coverage before storm season and photograph belongings for your records. After flooding, document damage from a safe location and follow instructions about utilities, cleanup, and returning home.
Extreme heat
Plan outdoor work, exercise, travel, and events around the hottest part of the day when possible. Drink water regularly, take breaks in air conditioning or shade, wear lightweight clothing, and check on older adults, young children, people with health conditions, and neighbors who live alone. Never leave a child, pet, or dependent person in a parked vehicle, even briefly.
Know the signs of a serious heat illness, including confusion, fainting, unusual behavior, or worsening weakness. Move the person to a cooler place and seek urgent medical help. If your power fails, check local cooling-center and shelter information rather than assuming a familiar location is open.
Winter storms and freezing weather
Before a freeze, protect people, pets, plants, and vulnerable plumbing according to local guidance. Bring needed items indoors, prepare warm clothing and blankets, and charge devices. If using a generator, place it outdoors and well away from doors, windows, and vents; never use a charcoal grill, camp stove, or fuel-burning appliance indoors or in an attached garage.
Delay unnecessary travel when roads are icy or conditions are deteriorating. If travel is essential, check road conditions first, tell someone your route, keep the vehicle fueled, and carry warm clothing, water, food, a flashlight, and a charged phone. If stranded, remain with the vehicle unless a safe, clearly reachable building is nearby.
Household and vehicle checklist
- Home: water, food, medicines, first-aid supplies, flashlights, batteries, chargers, blankets, sanitation items, tools, and supplies for infants, older adults, pets, and livestock.
- Documents: identification, insurance details, medical information, emergency contacts, and copies of critical records.
- Vehicle: fuel, phone charger, basic first-aid supplies, water, snacks, flashlight, seasonal clothing, and a way to receive road-condition updates.
- Communication: written contacts, a meeting place, a backup meeting place, and a plan for relatives who speak another language or need accessibility support.
What to double-check
During an active forecast, use a simple information workflow:
- Check the National Weather Service forecast and determine whether your home, destination, workplace, or route is included.
- Read the complete alert, including the affected area, timing, expected hazards, and recommended action.
- Compare that information with updates from your county or city emergency management office.
- Check current road conditions, closures, evacuation instructions, and shelter status before leaving.
- Confirm utility information through your electric, water, or gas provider’s official channels. Avoid relying on an unverified social media post.
- Send one clear update to your household contact network and keep monitoring for changes.
Procedures, shelter locations, evacuation zones, and communication tools can change. Before each major weather season, verify the links and phone numbers saved in your household plan. Local information should take priority over a general checklist when officials issue an instruction for your area.
Common mistakes
- Waiting for a perfect forecast: Prepare when conditions are possible, not only when danger is certain.
- Using one alert source: Keep phone alerts enabled and use local emergency updates, weather radio, television, or another backup.
- Driving through water: Turn around and choose a safe alternative. A familiar road can become hazardous quickly.
- Forgetting the vehicle: A full pantry does not help if you must evacuate without fuel, chargers, or supplies.
- Ignoring language and access needs: Make sure every household member understands the plan in the language and format they use best.
- Returning too soon: Wait for official guidance about damaged buildings, roads, utilities, and contaminated water.
- Using generators indoors: Carbon monoxide can be deadly. Follow the equipment instructions and keep fuel-burning devices outside.
When to revisit
Review this checklist before hurricane season, the hottest months, winter freezes, and the spring period when severe thunderstorms may become more frequent in parts of Texas. Revisit it immediately after moving to a new county, changing jobs or schools, buying a vehicle, adopting a pet, or adding someone with medical or accessibility needs to the household.
After every warning, evacuation, outage, or difficult trip, improve the plan while the experience is fresh. Replace expired supplies, test flashlights and chargers, update emergency contacts, confirm your meeting places, and verify local shelter, evacuation, road, and utility links. For broader practical information, see the Texas Severe Weather Preparedness Guide and keep this article available as a quick pre-storm review.
Next step: Set a calendar reminder for the start of your next major weather season, then complete the alert, supplies, communication, route, and vehicle checks in one sitting. A short review now can make the next official warning easier to understand and act on.
