It's really just a matter of paying attention to weather forecasts with a touch of personal experience and familiarity as to when things just feel like they could be one of those days. I grew up on a farm in an old house without a basement or storm cellar in the days before weather websites and weather radios, as did my parents. My father taught me way back when I was 5 or 6 what the signs of possible bad weather were. One thing about this part of the country is that once you get away from the skyscrapers in big cities your line of sight goes on a long way. I'd much rather take my chances out here than in the southeast or the Ozarks where everything is hills and trees that allows these things to drop on you from out of the blue.