INDIANAPOLIS — It's a question we get every time severe weather rolls in: Are we under a tornado watch or a tornado warning?
They may sound similar, but there's a crucial difference.
A tornado watch is issued when the ingredients are perfect for a tornado. You've got wind shear, or fast changes in wind speed or direction over a short period of time or distance. There's also moisture in the atmosphere.
But there's not actually a tornado on the ground.
Watches are usually issued a few hours before a severe weather event to give you time to get prepared and make a plan.
But a warning means the tornado is here. That's the time to get to a safe shelter as fast as possible.
It can be a little tricky to remember in the heat of the moment, but a meteorologist from WTHR's sister station in Charlotte, Brad Panovich, cooked up an easy way to remember.
"I said, 'Let's make this a food analogy. So I took a photo of all the ingredients you would need to make a cupcake. The eggs, the flour, the sugar — and that's your watch because the ingredients are there," Panovich told 13News.
WTHR meteorologist had a similar comparison: tacos. A watch means you've got the ground beef, the lettuce, tomatoes, and cheese to make the tasty treat. The warning is when it's all assembled in the shell.
So remember: if it's a Cupcake Watch that means you have all the ingredients to make a cupcake. A cupcake is a definite possibility, but it's not actually here yet.
If there’s a Cupcake Warning, that means a tornado is already here right in front of me, a cupcake is in my vicinity, and I need to take action.