I live in the Midwest, smack dab in tornado alley — so I can’t give insight about Mississippi.

But where I live, we will usually get a number of hours of warning that a storm capable of creating tornados is coming. So we have kind of a general awareness that tornado-friendly conditions are coming. Depending on how the storm goes, different areas or counties can be classified as “Tornado Watch” (be aware) or “Tornado Warning” (a tornado has been confirmed via visual sighting).

If there’s a Tornado Warning, the news will usually tell you where it is, where it’s seen heading. You may only get 5-10 minutes of warning if the tornado is coming toward you — every town also has warning sirens that will sound. That means you should take shelter immediately — basement, interior closet or bathroom, etc.

SO: You may be aware that the conditions exist for a tornado, but if one forms, you could potentially have only a number of minutes to react.