Translate

Tornado, Hail and Flooding Safety

Last updated:

03/30/2026

Severe weather is a reality in the Texas Panhandle—especially during spring and summer. Tornadoes, large hail, and flash flooding can develop quickly and pose serious threats. This guide helps Amarillo residents understand how to prepare, stay safe, and know where to find trusted information during these events.

Tornado Watches, Warnings, and Amarillo’s Outdoor Warning Sirens

Understanding alerts is the first step in staying safe: 

  • Tornado Watch: Conditions are favorable for tornadoes. Be alert and ready to take shelter if needed. 
  • Tornado Warning: A tornado has been spotted or detected by radar. Take shelter immediately. 

The City of Amarillo’s outdoor warning sirens are activated during tornado warnings or other life-threatening emergencies. These sirens are designed to be heard by people who are outdoors. If you are outside and hear a siren, you should seek shelter indoors immediately and tune in to an official source for more information. If you’re indoors, you may not hear the sirens clearly or at all. This is why it’s important to have multiple ways to receive alerts. The City of Amarillo tests the sirens on the last Friday of every month to ensure they are working properly, weather permitting. These tests are brief and will be announced in advance through official city communication channels.

City of Amarillo Resources and Alerts

The Amarillo Office of Emergency Management (OEM) is your official source for local emergency updates and guidance. 

How to stay informed: 

  • Sign up for Amarillo Alerts to receive text and email emergency notifications for Potter and Randall counties by visiting amarilloalerts.com
  • Check the National Weather Service in Amarillo for local weather forecasts and warnings at weather.gov/ama 

Emergency Preparedness: Shelter-in-Place & Go Bags

When a tornado warning is issued, take action immediately.

How to Shelter-in-Place:
  • Go to a small, windowless interior room on the lowest floor of your home
  • If possible, use a basement or storm shelter 
  • Cover yourself with a mattress, heavy blankets, or helmet to protect against flying debris 
  • Bring pets and your emergency kit with you 
What to Pack in a Go Bag (for shelters or quick evacuation): 
  • Bottled water and non-perishable snacks 
  • First aid kit and essential medications 
  • Flashlight and extra batteries 
  • Portable phone charger 
  • Copies of identification and important documents 
  • Basic tools or multi-tool 
  • Baby supplies or pet items if needed 

Flash Flooding: What To Know

Severe storms often produce heavy rain and dangerous flash flooding in Amarillo. 

During a Flood: 
  • Turn Around, Don’t Drown – never drive or walk through floodwaters 
  • Avoid underpasses, dips, and low-lying areas that flood quickly 
  • If indoors, move to higher ground if water begins rising 
  • Do not attempt to cut power unless it’s safe—evacuate if necessary 

Following heavy rainfall events, the City of Amarillo monitors playa lake levels and that the stormwater system is operating properly. Pumps can be activated as needed. For information about City of Amarillo Playa Lakes visit  www.amarillo.gov/drainage-utility

Hail Safety: What To Do Before and During a Storm

Hail can cause injury and significant property damage. It’s common in Amarillo storms. 

Before a Hailstorm: 
  • Park vehicles in a garage or under cover 
  • Secure or bring in outdoor furniture 
  • Close blinds or curtains to prevent injury from broken glass 
During a Hailstorm: 
  • Stay indoors and away from windows and glass doors 
  • If in a vehicle and unable to find shelter, safely pull over. Angle your vehicle so hail hits the windshield, which is reinforced, and use a blanket or jacket for protection

Select A Language to Translate This Page

About Translations on Amarillo.gov

The City of Amarillo offers translations of content on Amarillo.gov through the Google Translate web translator (translate.google.com). Because Google Translate is an external service, the City does not control the quality or accuracy of translated content. As a result, some translations may contain inaccuracies, and there may be issues with the appearance of translated pages, including errors in images.

If you encounter incorrect or substandard translations, you can help improve them by contributing better translations using Google Translate:

  1. Hover over any text containing an error, and a pop-up box will appear.
  2. Click “Contribute a better translation.”
  3. Double-click the area of the pop-up that says “Click a word for alternative translations, or double-click to edit directly.”
  4. Make your edits directly in the text box.
  5. Press “Contribute” to submit your suggested changes.

For more information on contributing to Google Translate, visit Google Translate’s help page.

Please note that the City of Amarillo does not control the process by which contributed translations are incorporated into Google Translate.

The City of Amarillo is dedicated to enhancing the accessibility and multilingual content available on our website.

City of Amarillo: Property Taxes Rebated Per Year by Agreement Type 

Overview 

The chart shows the dollar amounts of property taxes rebated per year over the last five fiscal years, broken down by agreement type. There were no Chapter 380 property tax rebates in the first two years listed. The total amount increased slightly each year, with a more significant increase in the most recent year. 

Values 

Numerical values presented on the image: 

 

Fiscal Year 2020/2021 

Fiscal Year 2021/2022 

Fiscal Year 2022/2023 

Fiscal Year 2023/2024 

Fiscal Year 2024/2025 

Chapter 311 

$533,080 

$547,426 

$574,947 

$591,249 

$821,350 

Chapter 380 

$0 

$0 

$37,387 

$39,172 

$61,013 

Presentation 

The bar chart shows the amount of property taxes rebated in the past five fiscal years, broken down by agreement type. The horizontal axis shows each of the past five fiscal years and the vertical axis shows the dollar amount rebated. For each fiscal year there is vertical column, comprised of two stacked columns, each of which representing the different agreement types. 

City of Amarillo: Number of Tax Abatements Granted Per Year 

Overview 

The chart shows the number of businesses that received a tax abatement from the City of Amarillo in the past five fiscal years. The 2020/21 and 2021/22 fiscal years each had four active abatements, 2022/23 had five, and 2023/24 and 2024/25 each had seven. 

Values 

Numerical values presented on the image: 

 

Fiscal Year 2020/2021 

Fiscal Year 2021/2022 

Fiscal Year 2022/2023 

Fiscal Year 2023/2024 

Fiscal Year 2024/2025 

Active Abatements Per Year 

4 

4 

5 

7 

7 

Presentation 

The bar chart shows the number of businesses that received a tax abatement from the City of Amarillo in the past five fiscal years. The horizontal axis shows each of the past five fiscal years and the vertical axis shows the number of active abatements each year. Each year has one column, with the height indicating number of active abatements in that year.

Amount of Taxes Abated Per Year 

Overview 

The chart shows the dollar amounts abated over the past five fiscal years from Chapter 312 tax abatement agreements. Each fiscal year shows a larger dollar amount abated, with minor growth over the first three years, a higher increase in the fourth year, and minor growth again in the fifth year. 

Values 

Numerical values presented on the image: 

 

Fiscal Year 2020/2021 

Fiscal Year 2021/2022 

Fiscal Year 2022/2023 

Fiscal Year 2023/2024 

Fiscal Year 2024/2025 

Taxes Abated by City of Amarillo 

$510,061 

$623,017 

$679,849 

$965,261 

$1,143,899 

Total Abated by All Entities Including City of Amarillo 

$1,569,512 

$1,926,332 

$2,103,099 

$2,884,936 

$2,959,496 

Presentation 

The bar chart represents the amount of taxes abated over the past five fiscal years. The horizontal axis shows each of the past five fiscal years and the vertical axis shows the dollar amount abated. The bar representing taxes abated by the City of Amarillo is sightly offset to the side of the bar representing the amount abated by all participating tax entities for each fiscal year. This shows that the amount abated by the City of Amarillo is a part of the total amount abated by all entities.

City of Amarillo: Taxes Rebated Per Year by Type 

Overview 

This chart shows the dollar amounts rebated by the City of Amarillo from economic development incentive agreements over the past five fiscal years. Each year is broken down by rebate type, including property tax rebates, hotel occupancy tax rebates, and sales tax rebates. Each fiscal year shows a slight increase in total dollars rebated, with a more drastic increase in the most recent fiscal year. 

Values 

Numerical values presented on the image: 

 

Fiscal Year 2020/2021 

Fiscal Year 2021/2022 

Fiscal Year 2022/2023 

Fiscal Year 2023/2024 

Fiscal Year 2024/2025 

Property Tax Rebates 

$533,080 

$547,426 

$612,334 

$630,421 

$882,363 

Hotel Occupancy Tax Rebates 

$686,747 

$753,112 

$794,828 

$871,423 

$808,348 

Sales Tax Rebates 

$0 

$21,046 

$55,528 

$45,881 

$368,716 

 

Presentation 

The bar chart represents the amount rebated by the City of Amarillo for each type of tax rebate over the past five fiscal years. The horizontal axis shows each of the past five fiscal years and the vertical axis shows the dollar amount rebated. The different rebate types are stacked vertically in each fiscal year, with the height representing the total dollar amount rebated.