City of College Station Blog

By Lauren McGrath, Emergency Management Coordinator

In Texas, the arrival of spring means more than bluebonnets and warmer weather. It also means tornado season is here. Texas leads the nation with an average of 137 tornadoes yearly, with more than 60 percent occurring from April to June.

While College Station has had its share of funnel clouds and tornado scares over the years, we’ve managed to escape any loss of life or catastrophic damage. But recent history shows that dangerous tornadoes can occur almost anywhere and at any time.

Bryan has had two destructive tornadoes even closer to home in recent years. In 2019, an EF-2 twister damaged several buildings and severely injured a man east of town. That same year, a strong tornado destroyed much of Franklin, which is located less than 40 miles from College Station.

Tornadoes aren’t limited to the spring and summer, either.

In December 2006, a twister moved south to north for five miles across central College Station and caused considerable damage along FM2818, Southwest Parkway, and Texas Avenue. The National Weather Service rated that tornado as an EF-1, with 110-mile-per-hour winds.

It’s essential to know how to prepare and react. These links provide in-depth information about what to do before, during, and after a tornado:

• Ready.gov
• American Red Cross
• National Weather Service
• Videos: What to do Before, During, and After a tornado

 Stay Informed

College Station doesn’t have outdoor tornado sirens, so when severe weather approaches, pay close attention to local radio and television stations. They do an excellent job of providing pertinent information, including tornado watches and warnings issued by the National Weather Service.

In an emergency, always follow the instructions from local emergency management officials. If a violent storm approaches or strikes the Bryan-College Station area, these are the best ways to monitor events and get timely information:

• Monitor local television and radio stations: They broadcast Emergency Alert System messages, watches and warnings, and other vital information.
• FEMA Emergency Alerts: FEMA’s Integrated Public Alert and Warning System sends emergency alerts directly to your mobile device, unless you have the notifications turned off.
• Code Maroon: To register to receive Texas A&M’s Code Maroon alerts by email or text message, go to codemaroon.tamu.edu.
• Own a NOAA Weather Radio: The radio’s alarm tone will automatically activate when the NOAA National Weather Service issues a warning. NOAA Weather Radio is also available as a smartphone app.
• Blogs: City of College Station, Community Emergency Operations Center.
• Twitter: City of College Station (@Cityof CS), City of Bryan (@CityofBryan), Texas A&M Code Maroon (@TAMUCodeMaroon).
• Facebook: City of College Station, City of Bryan, Brazos County.
• Websites: City of College Station Emergency Management, Brazos County Department of Emergency Management, City of Bryan Emergency Management, Texas A&M Emergency Management, Federal Emergency Management Agency, NOAA Storm Prediction Center, American Red Cross.

 Recommended Mobile Apps

Useful mobile apps with emergency alert capabilities are available for smartphones and tablets. Here are some we recommended that you can find in your favorite app store:

• FEMA
• Tornado: American Red Cross  
• NOAA Radar & Weather Forecast
• Storm Tracker
• Storm Radar: Weather Tracker
• Tornado Free

Just because tornadoes are relatively rare in our area doesn’t mean we shouldn’t be vigilant and well-prepared. Tornadoes are nature’s most violent storms, and we should always stand ready to handle whatever comes our way..

If you liked this post, share it!