Watches and Warnings
In order to prepare and protect the general public, the Storm Prediction Center and the National Weather Service issue watches or warnings based on the potential of severe weather threatening in an area. While they sound familiar, there are stark differences between how watches and warnings are issued.
A watch gives advance notice that conditions are favorable for dangerous weather. Watches are issued for areas of the country, which can cover part of a state or several states, that are within the risk area to determine information about the type of severe weather. A watch informs people to stay alert to changing weather conditions.
A warning is issued by the local NWS office when severe weather has been observed and pose a threat to both life and property. They are very localized, sometimes covering only a small portion of a county, and once issued, there may just be 15 minutes (sometimes more, sometimes less) to take action.
Image Source: noaa.gov