Watches vs. Warnings

The most important thing that you and your family can do to prepare for an emergency situation is to know the difference between a watch and a warning.
  1. Watch
  2. Warning
Conditions are favorable for the development of a hazardous situation.

A watch always means that conditions are favorable. In order to issue a watch, there must be some amount of lead-time which usually involves a type of media coverage about a potential hazard. Some hazards, such as a hazardous material spill, rarely provide any time to allow for a watch to be issued.