---
title: "Severe Thunderstorm Watch Checker | Thunderstorm Watch"
url: "https://thunderstormwatch.com/"
markdown_url: "https://thunderstormwatch.com/index.md"
description: "Check whether your location is under an active Severe Thunderstorm Watch using official National Weather Service data, with a national watch map and ZIP-code lookup."
updated: "2026-07-18"
---

# Severe Thunderstorm Watch: Check Your Location Now

Thunderstorm Watch is a free, anonymous US ZIP checker for active **Severe Thunderstorm Watches**. National Weather Service data is canonical. IEM watch-box geometry is orientation only, and Zippopotam resolves a ZIP to an approximate centroid.

## Check a ZIP

Use the interactive checker at https://thunderstormwatch.com/#checker or call:

`GET https://thunderstormwatch.com/api/check?zip=12345`

The ZIP must be exactly five ASCII digits. A successful response says active or inactive only after geocoding and fresh NWS verification. Stale or failed official data is unknown, never clear.

## National status

`GET https://thunderstormwatch.com/api/watches`

The response includes normalized NWS active Severe Thunderstorm Watch records and optional IEM orientation geometry. IEM failure does not overrule official NWS status.

## Watch vs. Warning

- **Watch:** severe storms are possible; prepare and stay informed.
- **Warning:** severe weather is occurring or imminent; act on official instructions.

## Safety

Thunderstorm Watch is not an official government service. It provides supplemental information only. Rely on Wireless Emergency Alerts, NOAA Weather Radio, local authorities, and https://www.weather.gov/ for life-safety decisions.

## Public pages

- [Thunderstorm Watch Pro](https://thunderstormwatch.com/pro.md)
- [Privacy Policy](https://thunderstormwatch.com/privacy.md)
- [Terms of Service](https://thunderstormwatch.com/terms.md)
- [About Thunderstorm Watch](https://thunderstormwatch.com/about.md)
- [Service Status](https://thunderstormwatch.com/status.md)
- [LLM index](https://thunderstormwatch.com/llms.txt)