Summer Storm Tips For MOCO: Know The Difference Between Watch, Warning

MONTGOMERY COUNTY, MD — Thunderstorms and wind have already hit Montgomery County, and as the summer months approach the Office of Emergency Management is putting out some tips on how to stay safe if there is extreme weather.

While hurricanes and tropical storms get the most attention in the category of summer storms, Montgomery County is more likely to see flooding, hail, lightning strikes, thunderstorms, and strong winds, the department said.

One of the biggest things MOCO residents should be able to do is tell a weather watch apart from a weather warning, they said.

“During the summer months, it is important to know the difference between a weather watch and warning, and understand that when a warning is announced, it is important to take immediate action,” said acting OEMHS Director Marianne Souders in a news release. “I encourage everyone to sign-up for Alert Montgomery to receive emergency updates to protect you and your loved ones.”

A weather watch has the following characteristics and could mean the following:

• residents should be prepared for a weather event
• conditions are right for the event to happen
• it could last several hours
• there is still time to plan for the possibility of a weather event

A weather warning means:

• the weather event is already happening
• residents should take immediate action
• usually only lasts for about 30 minutes

Residents can get these alerts by signing up for the county's system, Alert Montgomery.

A tornado touched down in Montgomery County last week, knocking down trees and damaging homes in Olney. Though some people were displaced from their homes, no one was injured, Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Spokesperson Pete Piringer said on Twitter.

"People were home," said Piringer about the occupants of the damaged homes in a video he posted to Twitter. "Everybody got the warning and they told me they were in the basements."