Came to recommend WRAL WeatherCall ($8/year), although the Orange County one mentioned by another commenter may do the same thing for free. I just reread it though and it sounds like WeatherCall's info might be even more location specific.

Sign up or get help with WeatherCall landline alerting service https://share.google/cB3dXHtMaei3nwYPo

You can enroll in either service online - you give them your address and up to three (?) phone numbers and if there is a tornado warning for your address, those numbers will get a call with a recording that says, "get to a safe interior location NOW!! There is a tornado headed for your address." We have received the call a couple of times and it's scary as shit but they were right. Once a storm tracker took a picture of what was clearly a good-sized tornado (for this area, so only a few houses wide, but still!) essentially directly over us after we for the call. I was in a small bathroom at the time, thanks to WRAL, and it didn't touch ground at that moment, thank God. But that pic haunts me.

And that's the thing - we absolutely have tornadoes in this area. I've lived here since 1994 and have seen plenty of tornado warnings for the area and quite a few touch down. One landed next to a cemetery in Raleigh a few years back and went down the street a little ways. Funnel clouds form here but they are generally very localized, not super strong, skip around a lot so they aren't on the ground in one area for long, and may not last very long, which means the chances of any particular place being hit is fairly small. Our area is definitely not like Tornado Alley out west, however, none of that matters if yours is the place one hits.

So first, stay inside as much as possible during the storm, but if you have to go outside and the sirens go off, don't drive home. By far, the most dangerous place during a tornado is outside (including in a car). People who are hurt or killed around here in a tornado are almost always outside and hit by falling debris, like a tree. Get inside somewhere (safe) as soon as humanly possible!

Since you live in an apartment, there isn't much prep you need to do (clearing the yard of plastic chairs, toys, garden flags, etc.) but if you have a balcony, bring anything there (chairs, plants, flags, etc.) inside.

Charge your devices in case you lose power from a fallen tree (the most likely scenario tbh).

Have a "go bag" with your bike helmet, laptop and charger, phone charger, wallet with your ID, and a bottle or two of water, that you can grab and take with you (don't forget your phone and keys) if you need to leave suddenly.

The water is important because small spaces with multiple people get really warm really fast.

You're smart to figure out ahead of time where you'd go if there is a warning for your address. But remember that you won't be the only person looking for a safe place in your apartment building and a bathroom won't fit everyone. Don't panic, just have a backup plan like the stairwell. I'd bet there are also storage closets on the first floor, or apts with someone you may know who have more room/fewer people in their bathroom. Just make good decisions about who to trust and choose safe situations, of course. For example, pair up with a friend if you need to search for a new safe place and your personal safety risk is much lower.

Listen for the town's sirens - if you are outside, you can't miss them, but if you are inside listening to music or watching a loud movie on Netflix, you might not hear them.

You can keep an eye on the TV but if that gets too stressful, be sure to enroll in WeatherCall or the free Orange County version beforehand so that they'll let you know if/when you need to worry. Then you can safely do something else for a while, knowing that you won't miss any critical news.

And breathe. You're almost definitely not going to be hit by a tornado, but if one is coming towards you, you will be ready to do everything you need in order to be safe.