CANCELED: Tornado WATCH in Effect Until 5 p.m. CT for Waco, McLennan County

UPDATE: The National Weather has canceled the TORNADO watch for Waco and McLennan County as of 12:42 p.m. CT Tuesday, Dec. 13, 2022.

WACO, Texas (9:27 a.m. Tuesday, Dec. 13, 2022) – As a cold front moves across Texas, the National Weather Service has issued a Tornado WATCH for a large portion of Central Texas, including Waco and McLennan County, effective until 5 p.m. CT. This means that tornadoes – along with damaging winds and hail – are possible in and near the watch area.

In the meantime, we ask that you please review and discuss your emergency plans. Baylor’s tornado safety procedure guide is available here.

• Check supplies, make sure your phone is charged and check the safe space in your home, apartment or residence hall.
• In residence halls, Severe Weather Assembly Areas are identified on Building Emergency Plan maps throughout each building and also available via an online map.
• Be ready to act quickly if a warning is issued or you suspect a tornado is approaching.

If a Tornado Warning is issued:

There are multiple ways the City of Waco, McLennan County and Baylor University alert their respective communities in case of a tornado:

• Tornado Sirens: There is a network of sirens operated by the City of Waco-McLennan County Office of Emergency Management. Baylor University maintains its own outdoor notification system. The sirens are activated during a tornado warning if a tornado is imminent.
• Baylor Alert: Outdoor/indoor notification system, emergency email and text messages, audio message to a cellphone or other telephone, Baylor’s main website, official Baylor social media accounts at official Baylor social media accounts at Facebook, @Baylor on Twitter and @BaylorUniversity on Instagram. More information about the Baylor Alert emergency notification system is available here.
• Local media, weather radios, Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA).

Safety Procedures:

Indoors

• Seek shelter immediately on a ground floor, in an interior room. (Severe Weather Assembly Areas are identified on Building Emergency Plan maps throughout each building and also available via an online map.)
• Do not use elevators.
• Stay away from windows, doors, and outside walls.
• Avoid any wide-span roof areas such as auditorium, gymnasiums, cafeterias and large hallways.

Residence Halls

• Residence Hall Directors and available staff will gather all residents to the Severe Weather Assembly Areas (identified on Building Emergency Plan maps throughout the facility).
• Residents should bring blankets for protection from debris.
• Remain in the Severe Weather Assembly Areas until the tornado passes, and an All Clear is issued via Baylor Alert.

Outdoors

• Seek indoor shelter, if possible.
• Parked motor vehicles are unsafe.
• If indoor shelter is not available and there is not time for escape, lie flat in a ditch or low spot.
• If you are on a flat ground and are caught in the path of a tornado, always move at right angles to its path.

Individuals with mobility/impairments or physical disabilities:

Supervisory personnel and course instructors are responsible for identifying and escorting individuals with mobility impairments or physical disabilities located in their offices/facilities or classrooms to safety in the event of a tornado warning.

The elevators may be used to transport individuals with mobility impairments or physical disabilities and their escorts to a safer location. Visually impaired and hearing-impaired individuals may be escorted down the stairs but may require assistance in moving in crowded staircases and in finding a safer location.

In the event of a power failure, individuals who are unable to use the stairs and their escorts should move to an interior location without windows and call the Baylor University Police Department (254-710-2222) who will notify the appropriate emergency personnel with the location.