Texas Porch

Outdoors / Weather & natural hazards

Be ready for Texas weather.

Texas weather covers a lot of ground: dangerous heat, flash floods, hurricanes, tornadoes, large hail, wildfires, and hard freezes. Sometimes the hazard changes in a matter of hours. The good news is that the same few habits help with nearly all of them: get alerts, make a household plan, and keep a basic kit. This guide starts there, then gives you the main action for each Texas hazard.

One rule above all

When officials issue a warning or evacuation order for your location, act on it. Do not wait until you can see the tornado, flood, surge, or fire for yourself.

The most important words on this page

Watch vs. warning

Learn this one difference and you'll know when to act. It applies to almost every hazard - floods, tornadoes, hurricanes, and more.

Watch

Be ready.

Conditions are favorable - the hazard is possible. Review your plan, stay alert, and get ready to act.

"Watch out - get ready."

Warning

Act now.

The hazard is happening or about to. Take your protective action immediately - shelter, evacuate, or get to high ground.

"Warning - act now."

NWS - Watches, Warnings & Advisories explained ->

Start here

The four basics cover nearly everything

You don't need a separate plan for each hazard. Do these four things and you're ready for almost any emergency below.

Know your risks

Different parts of Texas face different threats. Know which ones apply where you live and travel.

Get alerts - and learn watch vs. warning

Make sure warnings can reach you day or night, and know that a warning means act now.

Make a plan

Agree in advance where you'll meet, how you'll reach each other, your routes, and where you'll shelter.

Build a kit

Keep enough to get through several days on your own, somewhere easy to grab.

Get prepared in full ->

The whole guide

Hazard by hazard

Each hazard gets a tight section with the one thing that matters most. Start with the basics, then read the threats where you live.

Be ready for anything

The four basics that cover nearly every hazard - know your risks, get alerts, make a plan, build a kit.

Get prepared ->

Floods & hurricanes

Turn Around, Don't Drown - plus storm surge, evacuation zones, and inland flooding.

Water hazards ->

Storms

Tornadoes, giant hail, lightning, and damaging winds - where to shelter and when to act.

Severe storms ->

Heat & cold

Extreme heat and hard freezes - the two quiet killers, including heat stroke and the carbon-monoxide trap.

Temperature extremes ->

Wildfire

Drought and fire - Red Flag Warnings, burn bans, defensible space, and why you evacuate early.

Fire safety ->

Who handles what

Where to get real-time info

This page teaches the concepts - it never shows current conditions. For live warnings, burn bans, evacuation orders, and road closures, go straight to the source.

  • Forecasts, watches & warnings

    National Weather Service (NWS)

    The single most important source - forecasts, live watches and warnings, and hazard safety for every threat.

    weather.gov ->

  • Get ready (kit & plan)

    TDEM / TexasReady & Ready.gov

    Texas's preparedness guidance and FEMA's build-a-kit and make-a-plan steps.

    TDEM - Prepare ->

  • Local alerts & evacuation zones

    Your local Office of Emergency Management

    This is where the action is - sign up for your county or city's alert system, and find out your evacuation zone. There's no single statewide zone lookup; it's local.

    Find your local OEM (via TDEM) ->

  • Wildfire danger & burn bans

    Texas A&M Forest Service

    Current fire danger, the statewide burn-ban map, and wildfire status.

    Texas A&M Forest Service - Burn Bans ->

  • Road conditions

    TxDOT - DriveTexas

    Live, statewide road conditions and closures - essential in ice and flooding.

    DriveTexas.org ->

During & after any emergency

A few rules always hold

  • Heed official orders - evacuation orders, shelter-in-place, road closures. They're based on information you don't have.
  • Turn Around, Don't Drown - never enter floodwater on foot or in a vehicle.
  • Beware carbon monoxide - keep generators outdoors at least 20 feet from doors, windows, and vents, with exhaust pointed away.
  • Never touch a downed power line - assume every fallen line is live, and stay far back.
  • Check on neighbors, especially older adults and people with medical needs.
  • After the storm, watch for hazards (gas leaks, unstable structures, contaminated water, debris), document damage with photos for insurance, and only return home when officials say it's safe.

Quirks worth knowing

  • Texas can see heat, floods, hurricanes, tornadoes, hail, wildfire, and hard freezes, sometimes in the same season.
  • TexasReady calls flooding the state's most common disaster, and flash flooding a leading weather killer here.
  • The difference between a 'watch' and a 'warning' can save your life - a warning means act now.
  • A storm miles upstream can raise a Hill Country creek while your own sky still looks clear.
  • The generator belongs at least 20 feet outside, and the car never belongs in floodwater.

Hazard words, translated

The terms that matter when a warning comes.

Watch

Conditions are favorable for a hazard - be ready and stay alert.

A tornado watch: get your plan ready.

Warning

The hazard is happening or about to - take action now.

A flood warning: get to high ground.

Storm surge

An abnormal rise of seawater pushed ashore by a tropical storm or hurricane.

It can move inland along bays and rivers; leave when your zone is ordered out.

Red Flag Warning

An NWS alert that fire weather is critical - dry, windy, and dangerous.

No outdoor burning; one spark can spread fast.

Defensible space

The cleared, low-fuel buffer around a home that helps it survive a wildfire.

Clear brush and woodpiles away from the house.

Low-water crossing

A dip where a road crosses a creek and can be covered quickly by fast water.

If it is covered, turn around.

Quick answers

The questions people ask most

What's the single best thing I can do to prepare?

Get warnings on your phone (and a NOAA weather radio), make a simple household plan, and keep a basic kit. Those three cover nearly every hazard.

What's the difference between a watch and a warning?

A watch means be ready - the hazard is possible. A warning means act now - it's happening or about to. The warning is your cue to shelter, evacuate, or get to high ground.

It's flooding on the road ahead - what do I do?

Turn around. Never drive into floodwater, no matter how shallow it looks - a foot of water can carry off a car, and you can't see how deep it is.

Where do I go in a tornado?

The lowest floor, an interior room, away from windows, with as many walls around you as possible. If you're in a mobile home, leave it for a sturdy building or shelter.

The power's out in a freeze - how do I stay warm safely?

Layers and blankets - and never run a generator, grill, or stove indoors or in the garage. Carbon monoxide is invisible, odorless, and kills.

Should I evacuate for a hurricane or wildfire?

Yes - when officials tell you to, and leave early, before routes clog or get cut off. You can't outlast a surge or outrun a fast fire.

When is wildfire season in Texas?

A Texas wildfire can start in any season. Risk jumps when drought or cured grass combines with low humidity and strong wind, so watch Red Flag Warnings and the county burn-ban map year-round.

Where do I get real-time info?

The National Weather Service for forecasts and warnings, your local emergency management for alerts and evacuation orders, and DriveTexas.org for road conditions.

Official sources

Forecasts, watches, and warnings come from the National Weather Service; preparedness from TDEM and Ready.gov; wildfire and burn bans from the Texas A&M Forest Service; roads from DriveTexas. Texas Porch explains the concepts - the live sources are the real authority.

Data vintage:
Concepts and examples as reviewed July 2026
Last reviewed:
July 10, 2026

Before you act: This page never shows current conditions. Watches, warnings, burn bans, evacuation orders, and road closures change by the hour - always check the live official source and heed official orders. How to use Texas Porch carefully.

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