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CITY GUIDES/TEXAS/DALLAS

DALLAS EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS GUIDE

Prepare for emergencies
in Dallas.

Prepare for tornadoes, hail, flash flooding, extreme heat and winter outages. Find local alert settings, shelter guidance, Oncor contacts, DART updates and household planning tools.

Dallas County · Texas

Build my household plan →Find evacuation resources →
Dallas skyline
DALLAS COUNTYDallas,
Texas
A view of Dallas. Historical city photograph; see source credit for the original date.
Photo: Matthew T Rader · credit and license

This guide covers the City of Dallas. Love Field is the climate station. Dallas County is the default weather-radio area; parts of the city extend into other counties, so verify the county for your address before programming a receiver. Historical data and planning tools; check official sources for current conditions.

View sources ↗

CHOOSE A STARTING POINT

What do you need to prepare?

Plan for evacuationFind zone lookup, transport, and assistance resources.Review your options →Prepare your householdCalculate water, make a checklist, and save your plan.Build your plan →Understand the seasonsSpring and fall storms, very hot summers and occasional severe winter disruptions.Explore local weather →
All sections ↑My household plan →

01 / UNDERSTAND LOCAL RISKS

Dallas weather by month

Compare Love Field’s temperatures, rainfall and hot days. Keep tornado and severe-storm preparation ready beyond the spring months.

Dallas Love Field · NOAA 1991–2020

Monthly averages, not a forecast. Rainfall includes the water equivalent of precipitation. Days reaching 90°F are not heat-index days.

Read all monthly values
MonthHigh °FLow °FRain inchesDays ≥90°F
January57.737.92.590
February6241.92.780.1
March69.949.43.450.2
April77.456.83.150.8
May84.9664.577.6
June92.773.83.8322.4
July96.977.71.7128.5
August97.177.42.1927.7
September9070.13.116.5
October79.558.74.793.7
November67.847.82.930.1
December59.239.83.230

Summer heat

Average daily highs at Love Field reach 96.9°F in July and 97.1°F in August. Plan where to go if your home loses cooling.

Two wetter periods

May and October average 4.57 and 4.79 inches of rain. Those averages do not predict an individual flash flood or tornado.

Short cold spells matter

Winter averages can hide ice, snow and severe freezes. Keep a winter outage plan even after several mild weeks.

Download the station data ↗

02 / UNDERSTAND LOCAL RISKS

Choose your tornado shelter before a warning

Decide on a room you can reach quickly, including at night. A supply kit cannot make an unsuitable building a safe shelter.

House or sturdy building

Use a small interior room on the lowest floor, away from windows. Put as many walls as possible between you and the outside.

Apartment

Ask management where the safest accessible interior area is. Practice reaching it before a warning; do not assume an elevator will operate.

Mobile home

Arrange a sturdy building and a ride well before severe weather arrives. A mobile home is not safe shelter from a tornado.

Keep shoes, a light and your phone accessible. Avoid windows during hail and damaging wind. Follow the warning for your location even if you cannot see a tornado.

Read official tornado shelter guidance ↗

03 / UNDERSTAND LOCAL RISKS

Use indoor alerts as well as outdoor sirens

The city’s sirens tell people outdoors to get inside and seek information. They are not designed to wake everyone inside a home.

Register for DallasAlert and keep phone emergency alerts enabled. Use another source, such as a compatible weather-alert radio, and test whether you can receive it where you sleep.

Sirens can be activated for dangerous weather beyond tornadoes. If you hear one, move to safety and check official instructions. Do not wait for a siren when a warning already tells you to act.

Read how Dallas uses outdoor sirens ↗ · Find DallasAlert registration ↗

04 / UNDERSTAND LOCAL RISKS

Check creek, street and underpass flood risks

Flood planning includes everyday routes as well as property near the Trinity River. Ask about the history of your own location.

Use the city’s floodplain and drainage resources to investigate your address and ask about site-specific information. Keep documents and portable supplies above low storage areas, and choose routes that avoid underpasses and low crossings.

Do not enter floodwater, move a barricade or assume a larger vehicle can get through. Check local instructions before travel; a map does not certify that a road is safe.

Find city floodplain assistance ↗ · Review floodwater safety ↗

05 / UNDERSTAND LOCAL RISKS

Make an outage plan for very hot days

Choose a place with working air conditioning before your home becomes uncomfortable or unsafe.

Dallas skyline at dusk
A local view of Dallas. Landscape context, not a photograph of an active emergency.Photo: Matthew T Rader · CC BY-SA 4.0

The city lists libraries, recreation centers and other cooling facilities. Opening hours vary; check the current list and confirm access before traveling. Keep a backup destination in case the first is closed.

Confirm your provider

If Oncor serves your address, save 888-313-4747 and its outage page. Your electricity retailer and the company restoring the local lines may be different.

Choose a ride

Check DART service alerts if you rely on transit. Arrange a second ride for a household member who cannot wait outside or walk far.

Check equipment needs

Discuss backup requirements with the provider of any powered medical device. A small phone-charging battery is not a cooling system.

Find city cooling locations ↗ · Check Oncor outages ↗ · Check DART alerts ↗

06 / UNDERSTAND LOCAL RISKS

Prepare for ice and loss of heating

A winter outage can affect heat, water, roads and communications at once. Choose a warm destination before travel becomes difficult.

Keep warm clothing, blankets, drinking water and food that needs no cooking. Ask a qualified plumber or property manager about protecting vulnerable pipes. Test smoke and carbon-monoxide alarms before heating season.

Never use an oven or grill to heat a home. If using a generator, operate it outdoors well away from doors, windows and vents according to official guidance and the manufacturer’s instructions. Check road and DART conditions before leaving for supplies or shelter.

Read winter preparation guidance ↗ · Save the outage reporting page ↗

07 / UNDERSTAND LOCAL RISKS

Plan both a shelter room and a place to stay

For a tornado warning, the immediate priority is nearby sturdy shelter. For an evacuation or an unsafe indoor temperature, you may need to leave the neighborhood.

Record two destinations, a driver and another way to get there. Include pets, medication information and help with stairs. Follow the instructions for the current incident instead of using an old shelter announcement.

If DART is part of your plan, save route alerts and an alternate ride. Do not assume a normal transit schedule guarantees service during an emergency.

Open city emergency resources ↗ · Check DART service alerts ↗

08 / BUILD YOUR EMERGENCY PLAN

Build your Dallas household plan

Choose your household size, supply duration and housing type. Save a checklist and download local contacts with your plan.

Water bottles, first-aid kit, flashlight, radio and other supplies laid out on a table
Lay out your supplies before using the checklist below. Illustrative supplies, not a complete emergency kit.Photo: Roger Brown · Pexels license
  1. 1Enter household details
  2. 2Review water and tasks
  3. 3Download your plan

STARTING WATER RESERVE

14gallons

2 people × 7 days × 1 gallon per day

For people only; add pet and individual needs.

Your household checklist

0 of 6 complete

Tracks these tasks only, not a safety score. Choices stay in this browser.

Saved only on this device

The seven-day setting is a planning scenario. Start with at least one gallon of water per person per day; increase it for heat, pets and individual needs. Read water-storage guidance ↗

Keep a portable bag separate from your home reserve. Add medication instructions, accessibility needs and meeting places to the downloaded worksheet. The checklist tracks tasks you mark; it does not measure whether your home is safe.

09 / BUILD YOUR EMERGENCY PLAN

A monthly Dallas preparation checklist

Choose a month for three practical tasks. These are suggested reminders, not a forecast or a restriction on when hazards can happen.

    Read the full year’s checklist

    January — Prepare for winter outages

    • Check warm layers and no-cook food.
    • Record a warm backup destination.
    • Save Oncor’s outage number.

    February — Review freeze and travel plans

    • Ask about vulnerable plumbing.
    • Check DART alerts before essential trips.
    • Refresh drinking-water storage.

    March — Practice reaching shelter

    • Choose the lowest accessible interior room.
    • Test weather-radio reception.
    • Arrange early transport from a mobile home.

    April — Check severe-weather alerts

    • Review DallasAlert settings.
    • Keep shoes and lights by sleeping areas.
    • Practice the plan with everyone at home.

    May — Review heavy-rain routes

    • Avoid low crossings and underpasses in the plan.
    • Check property flood resources.
    • Move documents above low storage areas.

    June — Prepare for cooling loss

    • Choose two air-conditioned destinations.
    • Check hours and accessibility.
    • Confirm a ride that does not depend on one route.

    July — Maintain heat supplies

    • Keep drinking water available.
    • Check in with a neighbor or relative.
    • Review backup needs for powered equipment.

    August — Review food and battery plans

    • Check refrigerator thermometer placement.
    • Recharge portable lights.
    • Confirm the cooling destination is still available.

    September — Refresh autumn storm plans

    • Retest the weather radio.
    • Update DallasAlert contact details.
    • Replace supplies used during summer.

    October — Keep shelter ready outside spring

    • Clear access to the interior shelter room.
    • Check low routes before heavy rain.
    • Review a backup ride.

    November — Prepare for cold weather

    • Test smoke and carbon-monoxide alarms.
    • Ask about heating maintenance.
    • Review pipe protection with qualified help.

    December — Update household contacts

    • Check Oncor and DART bookmarks.
    • Refresh medication information and supplies.
    • Download a new household plan.

    10 / USE THE TOOLS

    Estimate battery runtime for your devices

    Use the power label on each device. This calculator estimates energy use; it does not check electrical compatibility.

    A switched-on flashlight resting on a surface
    Include battery-powered lighting in your outage plan. Use the calculator below for devices you would power from a battery station.Photo: Steve A Johnson · Pexels license
    1. 1Select devices
    2. 2Adjust watts and daily hours
    3. 3Enter battery capacity
    Editable example device loads
    UseDeviceWattsHours/day

    Watts × hours gives daily watt-hours. Battery capacity × usable percentage gives estimated usable energy. Actual runtime also depends on starting surges, inverter limits, battery condition and temperature.

    A small battery may charge phones or lights, but it is not a household heating or cooling plan. Arrange a suitable place to go if your home becomes unsafe. For medical equipment, confirm backup requirements with the equipment provider.

    11 / USE THE TOOLS

    Estimate Dallas solar output by month

    Compare the seasons before relying on a portable panel for backup charging.

    NASA POWER · 2001–2025

    The estimate uses monthly average sunlight on a horizontal surface: panel watts × daily irradiation × the percentage retained after losses. It is an approximate daily energy budget, not guaranteed output during a storm.

    Shade, nearby buildings, panel angle, temperature and charging limits change the result. Check that the panel and battery are compatible. View the underlying NASA grid data ↗

    12 / BUILD YOUR EMERGENCY PLAN

    Set up Dallas emergency alerts

    Use local alerts and a second information source. Test reception and batteries before you need them.

    Sign up for local alerts ↗

    Dallas County · SAME county code048113

    Keep the leading zero.

    NOAA WEATHER RADIO162.400 MHz

    KEC56 · Verify reception where you will use the radio. Radio setup source ↗

    SAME filters county alerts on compatible receivers. A basic weather-band radio may only play broadcasts when switched on. Check the model before relying on automatic warnings; the county code does not identify your evacuation zone.

    13 / BUILD YOUR EMERGENCY PLAN

    Save these Dallas contacts

    Put these links and numbers in your phone and keep a paper copy. Check your utility bill to confirm the correct provider.

    Emergency

    Call 911 for immediate danger.

    City services

    Call 311 for non-emergency city requests.

    14 / UNDERSTAND LOCAL RISKS

    Local events worth planning for

    These examples show how different emergencies affect everyday life. They are not a forecast or an estimate of your address’s risk.

    2019

    An October tornado through north Dallas

    On October 20, the NWS documented an EF3 tornado through north Dallas and nearby communities. Planning lesson: keep the shelter plan and indoor warnings ready outside spring. Read the NWS survey ↗

    2021

    A historic winter outbreak

    The February 2021 Arctic outbreak brought disruptive winter weather across the region. Planning lesson: keep warm shelter, water and lighting in the same household plan. Read the NWS winter review ↗

    15 / BUILD YOUR EMERGENCY PLAN

    Shop this guide

    Supplies selected for Dallas’s local risks and the plans on this page. Start with what you already own.

    These are individual products, not a complete emergency kit. Compare capacity, fit and household needs before buying. Cards show the current store catalog; confirm options and availability on the product page.

    Browse all emergency supplies →

    Keep a hands-free light near your shoes and shelter area so you can move through a dark home during storms.

    Power phones and small devices for DallasAlert and outage updates. Its 155Wh capacity is not a substitute for heating or air conditioning.

    Keep a drinking-water reserve for a freeze or other service interruption. Use the household calculator to plan the full amount.

    Add compact blankets to a winter travel bag with warm clothing. They are not a replacement for a warm indoor destination.

    Track fridge and freezer temperatures during a long hot-weather outage before deciding what food to keep.

    Keep no-cook food available when ice or storms interrupt power and shopping trips. Check ingredients, calories and household dietary needs.

    SOURCES AND COVERAGE

    Where the Dallas information comes from

    Independent Local Prepper guide. Sources reviewed November 2026. City, county, airport, and regional data are labeled separately. No address-level safety assessment or live alert feed is provided.

    Browse all sources and their coverage

    Photo: Dallas Skyline in the evening.jpg by Matthew T Rader, 2010-05-29 19:34:19. CC BY-SA 4.0. Display cropped.

    Browse all city guides →