Badge Quest
Do not seek out these events. They will find you. Badge Quest is a game, not an official alert source. Always follow official instructions from your local authorities and the alert itself. Not affiliated with FEMA, the National Weather Service or the FCC.

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TWISTER badge: 8-bit pixel art for the Tornado Warning alert

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CORE BADGE

TWISTER BADGE

ALERT
Tornado Warning
CODES
TOR
RARITY
★☆☆☆☆ COMMON
UPGRADE
STORMCHASER after 10 alerts

“Lowest floor, interior room, helmet optional but stylish.”

⚠ Do not seek out these events. They will find you.

Never travel toward a storm, fire, flood or any emergency to earn a badge. This page is general safety information, not an alert. If you get a real alert, follow the instructions in it and from local officials.

What this alert means

A Tornado Warning (TOR) means a tornado has been seen or is indicated by weather radar in the warned area, and there is imminent danger to life and property. The National Weather Service sends every Tornado Warning to phones in the warning's polygon.

A Tornado Watch is different: it means conditions are favorable for tornadoes. Watches are not sent as WEA.

What to do if you get one

  • Go to a safe shelter immediately: a basement, storm cellar, or a small interior room (bathroom, closet, hallway) on the lowest floor, away from windows.
  • Get under something sturdy and cover your head and neck with your arms, a mattress or a helmet.
  • Mobile homes and vehicles are not safe. Go to the nearest sturdy building or storm shelter.
  • Do not shelter under a highway overpass. Do not try to outrun a tornado in traffic.

Summarized from the official guidance below. The alert itself and your local authorities always come first.

How the badge is earned

Your home area is inside a Tornado Warning polygon.

It happens automatically. The Badge Quest server reads the public FEMA IPAWS and National Weather Service alert feeds and awards the badge when an alert's official target area covers the home area you set (ZIP code or location). There's nothing to log or claim, and it can't be faked.

How rare is it?

COMMON ★☆☆☆☆: the COMMON tier means 1,000 or more WEA messages a year nationally. ~3,058 WEA messages/yr nationally (2023-25 avg: 2,518 / 3,637 / 3,018).

WEA-flagged alert messages in FEMA's IPAWS archive (IPAWS archive filter: TOR). One message can cover a small area, so your personal odds are much lower.
YearTWISTER messagesAll WEA messages
20232,5187,349
20243,63710,377
20253,01810,284
Avg / yr3,0589,337

Cross-check: IEM counts 2,541 / 3,649 / 3,027 NWS Tornado Warnings in 2023/24/25.

How rarity is calculated

Upgrade: STORMCHASER

TWISTER badgeSTORMCHASER, the upgraded TWISTER badge: pixel art

STORMCHASER

★★☆☆☆ UNCOMMON

After 10 different qualifying alerts for your area, the game shows “Hold on... your TWISTER badge is upgrading!” and then “Your TWISTER badge was upgraded to a STORMCHASER!”. Repeats of the same alert don't count twice.

“Ten tornado warnings. Basement fully furnished. Helmet has stickers now.”

Upgraded badges rank one rarity tier above their base badge (capped at LEGENDARY). That tier is a game rule, not a separate statistic.

Part of these combo badges

Official sources

Rarity data

Collect them all

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