Fall is an opportunity to enjoy the beautiful changing colors in your environment. With these wonderful changes also comes the risk of severe weather, and it is essential to know how to prepare yourself to stay safe.
Here are seven ways to stay safe and be prepared for the worst weather this fall:
1) Charge all electronic devices
Be sure that all electronic devices, such as cellphones, laptops, flashlights, and portable chargers. Check out the best tricks to keep your devices charged long-term.
FILE – Storm clouds pass over the skyline of lower Manhattan and One World Trade Center in New York City on June 19, 2025, as seen from Jersey City, New Jersey.
(Gary Hershorn / Getty Images)
2) Know the difference between watch and warning
According to the National Weather Service (NWS), a watch is issued when conditions are favorable for a particular severe weather hazard within the next several hours. A warning is issued when a specific severe weather hazard is imminent or occurring. Take immediate action to protect life and property. Click here to see the differences.
Encinitas, CA – October 14: A woman walks in the rain along Coast Highway as a skeleton is displayed outside of a shop on October 14, 2025 on Encinitas, CA.
(K.C. Alfred / The San Diego Union-Tribune / Getty Images)
3) Understand severe thunderstorm risk categories
According to the NWS, severe thunderstorms are measured by winds of at least 58 mph. The NWS has five different categories to characterize the risk of severe thunderstorms on a given day. Click here to learn more.
- Marginal: Isolated severe thunderstorms are possible.
- Slight: Scattered severe storms are possible.
- Enhanced: Numerous severe storms are possible.
- Moderate: Widespread severe storms are likely to occur.
- High: Widespread severe storms are expected.
Understanding severe thunderstorm risk categories.
(National Weather Service)
4) Learn how to prepare for tornadoes
Tornadoes are capable of destroying well-made structures, uprooting trees, and hurling objects through the air like deadly missiles. The proper preparations before this type of extreme weather could save your life. Click here to learn to prepare for tornadic storms.
This image shows a large tornado spinning across the landscape in Watertown, South Dakota, on July 27, 2025.
(Brandon Copic / FOX Weather)
5) Learn to prepare for winter storms
Winter storms don’t have to wait until it’s officially winter to strike. If you are located in areas such as the Northeast or the Northern Plains, you can always expect the cold weather to come at full force for the winter.
Risks such as storm-related power outages can change everything if you are unprepared for the worst.
The NWS says that when using heat from a fireplace, wood stove, space heater, etc., use fire safeguards and properly ventilate. Click here for a checklist on what to have on hand.
A pedestrian crosses the street as snow falls during a winter storm in Bethesda, Maryland on January 6, 2025. A massive storm system dumped heavy snow and freezing rain on large swaths of the eastern United States Monday, disrupting travel and work for millions of Americans from the Ohio Valley to the capital Washington.
(Photo by PEDRO UGARTE/AFP via Getty Images / Getty Images)
6) Learn how to stay safe around a generator
Generator safety is important to know whether you’re in the system’s cold region or in the southern storm belt.
Generators can be dangerous if safety precautions aren’t followed. Click here to learn how to stay safe.
7) Download the free FOX Weather app
Track either snow or storms on the FOX Weather 3D Radar. The app is free, and you can enable push alerts for when dangerous weather moves into your region. Click here to download the app.
