ATLANTA (AP) — With new innovations and technology, scientists have learned from major tornado outbreaks over the years how to improve safety guidance. During tornado season, forecasters try to get the word out about staying safe during a storm — but also planning for it ahead of time.

Tornado seasons typically begin at different times in different parts of the United States.

In what has historically been known as Tornado Alley — a designation that typically includes Kansas, Oklahoma and Texas — the peak of tornado season is May into early June. But the season starts earlier in what's often called Dixie Alley, made up of southern states such as Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Georgia.

The idea of a tornado alley can be misleading, since tornadoes have been reported in all 50 states. About 1,200 tornadoes strike the U.S. every year, and each year violent twisters happen outside these traditional “alleys” of tornado outbreaks, according to the National Severe Storms Laboratory. Recent twisters have even struck in places unaccustomed to them, such as one near Los Angeles in 2023 that tore apart rooftops and injured one person.

When a tornado takes aim at your house, and the sirens are sounding, the dogs are barking and the children are screaming, there are some last-minute precautions that could save the lives of you and your loved ones.

Experts also recommend a few simple steps to prepare well before the twister is on your doorstep. Here’s a look at some tornado safety tips:

How do I get emergency updates?

Weather radios, specialized receivers that get alerts and can sound an alarm in an emergency, are something that every home and business should have, said Rick Smith, the warning coordination meteorologist at the National Weather Service’s forecast office in Norman, Oklahoma.

“It does feel like old-school technology, but they are lifesaving devices,” Smith said.

Radios can be particularly valuable in the South, where many tornadoes strike at night when people are sleeping. “This can wake you up in the middle of the night with the alarm,” Smith said.

The National Weather Service encourages people to have multiple ways of being warned, which can include weather radios, a cellphone app or other method in case power is lost. Redundancy is key, Smith said.

Where should I take shelter?

The ideal places to take shelter are enclosed, underground shelters and basements, or a safe room above ground that’s designed to withstand tornadic winds.

But many people don’t have that option — in Oklahoma, for example, the clay soil makes building basements expensive, so lots of homes don’t have them.

If you have to be above ground in a tornado, “your goal is to put as many walls and barriers between you and the outside as you possibly can,” Smith said.

Smith recommends using mattresses, couch cushions or other sturdy items to protect yourself from deadly flying or falling debris. Bicycle or sports helmets can provide crucial head protection. It's important that they are stored in a convenient place so they can be retrieved quickly, when you have only minutes or seconds before the storm strikes.

A car seat can help protect a small child, Smith says, and can be brought inside ahead of time.

How can I keep my home safe?

Recent research has shown that closing your home’s garage door and all interior doors could ease the high winds inside somewhat by compartmentalizing them, according to Smith. Doing so is recommended during thunderstorms and tornadoes by the Insurance Institute for Business and Home Safety.

That’s the opposite of a commonly held misconception: “There’s still a chunk of people out there who think you’re supposed to open the doors and windows to equalize the pressure,” Smith said.

It’s also important to prepare for the tornado’s aftermath, when you might emerge from a home or shelter to find downed trees and power lines and shredded buildings. Dress for disaster, such as wearing long pants and sturdy shoes, to make it easier to safely navigate treacherous terrain.

An emergency kit of essentials like drinking water and nonperishable food items is also a good idea.

What should I do if I'm driving?

Don't look to Hollywood for sound tornado safety practices. The recent Hollywood film “Twisters” shows the characters sprinting toward a highway underpass as a tornado approaches.

If you are in a car or truck, “you really don’t have a lot of good options at that point,” Smith said. “Try not to get caught in that situation.”

The best thing to do is get off the road and try to find a building. If there’s nowhere to go, there are no guaranteed safe options.

When it comes to ditches, overpasses or staying inside a car, “people have survived doing all of those, people have died doing all of those,” Smith said. “I’ve seen cars rolled up into unrecognizable balls of metal.”

More severe weather pummels the central US as thousands recover from deadly tornadoes

LONDON, Ky. (AP) — More tornadoes plowed through the central U.S. on Monday and thousands were without power as people from Texas to Kentucky continued to clean up from days of severe weather that killed more than two dozen people and destroyed thousands of homes and buildings.

At least four tornadoes were confirmed in Oklahoma and Nebraska on Monday evening, according to a preliminary report from the National Weather Service.

In McAlester, in southeast Oklahoma, officials reported downed power lines and debris, with multiple roads blocked. About 28 miles (45 kilometers) east, in Wilburton, the city's Facebook page reported a tornado on the ground and heading its way. “Take cover now!” the post warned residents.

Nearly 130,000 customers were without power in Oklahoma, Arkansas, Missouri and Kansas, according to PowerOutage.us.

In northwest Arkansas, severe weather caused a Halsey concert to be canceled. And in Oklahoma, Tulsa Public Schools canceled all afterschool activities.

In northern Texas, softball-sized hail measuring 4 1/2 inches in diameter was confirmed, according to Scott Kleebauer, a meteorologist with the service's Weather Prediction Center.

Earlier Monday in St. Louis, where officials estimated a Friday tornado damaged 5,000 buildings and may cost well over $1 billion, the mayor warned that federal assistance could take weeks.

Kentucky has been hardest hit by the storms. A devastating tornado late Friday into early Saturday damaged hundreds of homes, tossed vehicles, left many homeless, and killed at least 19 people, most of them in southeastern Laurel County.

In London, Kentucky, where the devastation was centered, the small airport became a beehive of cleanup work after it took a direct hit from a tornado. Small aircraft stored there had large dents in them and even wings ripped open. Officials were using it as a base to get water, food, diapers and other supplies out to the community.

"We have 1,001 things going on. But we’re managing it. And we’re going to get it all cleaned up,” said London Mayor Randall Weddle.

Officials in Kansas and Texas also were evaluating damage from late Sunday storms.

The risk of severe storms moves into Alabama, Mississippi and Tennessee on Tuesday, the weather service said.

Kentucky cleans up

The Kentucky storms that killed 19 people were part of a weather system that caused seven deaths in Missouri and two in northern Virginia, authorities said.

Lonnie Nantz hid in a hallway with his wife, two daughters and a grandson as the one-story brick home they bought near London in 1977 was destroyed around them. They were trapped in rubble for about 20 minutes in the midnight darkness before they were rescued unharmed.

“I don’t know why this happened. I’ve tried to live a good life all my life. I’ve still got the faith," said the 77-year-old Nantz, who went to church as always on Sunday.

London city worker Ashley Taylor was back on the job Monday loading doughnuts to take to a hospital and dispatch center even though there was a tarp on her roof. She was lucky — the houses across her street were destroyed late Friday night.

She survived the storm with nine other people and three dogs in the crawl space of a neighbor’s home.

“We prayed like never before — and just thankful for everything God did for us,” Taylor said.

In surrounding Laurel County, first responders mourned one of their own.

Fellow firefighters found the body of Laurel County Fire Major Leslie Leatherman on top of a woman he was shielding from the storm's fury as he answered calls during the worst of the storm. The woman was yelling for help and they were in a field across from a destroyed subdivision.

The injured woman turned out to be Leatherman's wife and officials aren’t sure if he knew who he was protecting in the darkness and chaos, the fire department said on social media.

A Kansas City is spared 18 years after a tornado nearly wiped out the community

Forecasters on Sunday night issued a tornado emergency for Greensburg, Kansas, where 12 people were killed and 90% of the town was destroyed in May 2007 by a 1.5-mile (2.4-kilometer) wide tornado with winds of 205 mph (330 kph).

The city was spared this time. Power was out but residents were safe after the “storm scare,” Greensburg officials posted on social media.

Tornadoes in Kansas carved a 20-mile (32-kilometer) path through Stafford and Reno counties. While damage was extensive, no injuries or deaths were reported.

Hard-hit St. Louis waits for FEMA

St. Louis Mayor Cara Spencer said five people died, 38 were injured and more than 5,000 homes were affected by an EF3 tornado with winds up to 150 mph (240 kph) that slammed areas north and west of downtown Friday. Spencer has estimated that damages will exceed $1.6 billion.

“Eight miles of pure destruction, at times a mile wide," Spencer said at a Monday news conference. “We’re talking about thousands of buildings, thousands of families are being displaced.”

The city is awaiting a disaster declaration from the governor’s office as a first step to getting federal assistance.

U.S. Sen. Josh Hawley, a Missouri Republican, expressed frustration over the federal response to a deadly March storm. “I’m not happy about the fact we’re still waiting from all of that damage two months ago," Hawley said.

Acting Federal Emergency Management Agency Chief David Richardson said last week he plans to shift responsibility for disaster recovery to states this year as part of an agencywide transformation and that FEMA would coordinate federal assistance “when deemed necessary.”

Spencer said during a news conference Monday evening that emergency protocols put in place in 2021 were not followed, possibly preventing sirens being activated to warn residents about the tornado.

She said it was not clear whose responsibility it was to let the community know about the emergency but that the fire department will do so moving forward.

In Texas, several tornadoes touched down west of Fort Worth on Sunday, including an EF1 with peak winds of 105 mph (169 kph) that caused damage in and around Gordon, the weather service said Monday.