Weather guide: react to the warning, not the tornado

How the weather system stacks pressure

The developers describe twelve weather combinations built from rain, hail, acid rain and lightning at light, medium and heavy intensity. Tornadoes are ranked from F1 to F5 and follow dynamic paths. Buildings, dropped items and routes can be damaged or destroyed, so yesterday’s safe shortcut is not a permanent rule.

The danger comes from overlap. Rain can leave you drenched, which slows movement and increases electrical vulnerability. Add an injury, a heavy tire and a long return route, and a moderate event becomes a failed evacuation. Treat each escalation as a reason to recalculate travel time rather than as a visual effect.

Match the hazard to the response

| Hazard | Immediate response | Useful equipment | | ----------------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------- | -------------------------------------------------- | | Rain / acid rain / hail | Shorten outdoor travel and reach cover | Umbrella protects the holder and a nearby teammate | | Lightning | Avoid exposed routes and fallen lines | Portable conductor provides local protection | | Strong wind | Stop the long detour; crouch when pulled | Solid Stance from crouching helps resist movement | | Fire / burning | Separate from close teammates and seek healing/protection | Firefighter clothing grants fire protection | | Incoming tornado | Recall the crew, shelter briefly if needed, then complete evacuation | Van radar supports timing and teammate tracking |

An umbrella is team equipment, not only personal comfort. Stay close enough for a second player to share its protection without clustering everyone around an electrical or fire hazard. A conductor works proactively; waiting until a teammate is already electrified wastes the safety window.

Wind and tornado warnings

Do not wait to see the funnel. The wind ramp, sirens, radar information and the character being physically pulled are progressively stronger warnings. When wind begins moving you, crouch to gain Solid Stance. Use it to reach cover or finish a short safe move, not to justify continuing a remote loot route.

Tornado paths are dynamic. Keep checking what remains between you and the van because a damaged building or blocked road can invalidate the return leg. Heavy-item carriers require an earlier recall than mobile scouts; announce the threshold before the strongest stage, while the team can still hear and act calmly.

Choose shelter that buys a real safety window

Enclosed rooms and the closed van are strong defensive choices. Bathrooms are compact fallback spaces when a house is still structurally safe. Merely standing under an overhang is not the same as breaking exposure to wind, debris or lightning.

Shelter is temporary support for the objective. If the van is repaired and reachable, use the window to regroup and evacuate. If a building is taking visible damage, keep an alternate exit and do not assume its interior remains safe indefinitely. Avoid fallen power lines even when they lie on the shortest geometric route.

Manage negative states before they combine

| State | Practical consequence | Corrective decision | | ---------------------- | --------------------------------------------- | -------------------------------------------------------- | | Injured / Very Injured | Reduced movement, severe at low health | Bandage, medicate or heal before a heavy carry | | Heavy Load | Slower movement while carrying a large object | Escort the carrier and choose the shortest safe path | | Drenched | Slower movement and greater electrical risk | Reach cover and avoid lightning or downed lines | | Electrified | Damage over time | Break hazard contact; use a conductor early next time | | Burning | Damage over time and proximity risk | Separate from teammates, then seek protection or healing |

Inventory policy is part of weather survival. Keeping a suitable defensive gadget can save a route, but it should not displace the one mandatory repair part that ends the run. Consume small recovery items when they restore movement margin instead of saving them for an imagined perfect moment.

Protect the whole crew

One player at the van radar can call weather escalation and see who has not returned. Pair a heavy carrier with an escort, and keep radio phrases short: hazard, location, action. “Heavy acid rain, east house, shelter now” is clearer than shouting a running commentary.

At v0.34.19, official notes still include walkie-talkie and item synchronization issues and no push-to-talk. Set a hard recall rule that does not depend on flawless communications. If the radio goes silent, everyone should already know which warning means “return without debate.”