A tornado watch is an issued warning that current weather conditions in an area have created the risk for severe weather, especially a tornado. Not to be confused with a tornado warning, a tornado watch is sometimes known as a TOA or a "red box" by meteorologists and storm chasers. A tornado watch features detailed information as to the risk and the location of the inclement conditions expected.
Tornado watches are issued by the Storm Prediction Center in Norman, Okla. This center is part of the National Centers for Environmental Prediction and works alongside the National Weather Service in the United States. The Storm Prediction Center, populated with scientists, meteorologists and weather experts, is responsible for forecasting and categorizing the risks of the different watches and warnings that come out of their offices.
A tornado watch is issued when weather conditions dictate that the formation of a severe thunderstorm is likely and when the severe thunderstorm is capable of producing tornadoes or tornado-like conditions. The tornado watch is always accompanied by a severe thunderstorm watch--it does not mean that the tornado-like conditions are occurring but that there is a real threat of the conditions developing.
Different from the more serious tornado warning, the tornado watch is meant as an alert to watch the weather conditions. The tornado warning, on the other hand, is issued when a tornado is imminent and will happen soon. Warnings are issued just before tornadoes are likely to happen or once they have been sighted. These are accompanied by siren warnings, different from the radio and television warnings that accompany a tornado watch.
The information included in a tornado watch includes what area is likely to be experiencing the extreme weather conditions and what the scope of the conditions may entail. The location of a tornado watch usually is noted in miles north and south, and east and west; it also can be noted by a line from city to city.
Tornado watches generally are indicated on weather channels and cable broadcasts. They are accompanied by audio indicators and often county-by-county warning and instruction. Very common in the middle part of the country, where tornadoes ravage every summer, tornadoes are far less common in the northern and western U.S.
