When the National Weather Service issues a Tornado Warning or a Severe Thunderstorm with damaging winds at or greater than 70 mph for Oakland County, the sirens are activated. Show
Oakland County has 275 outdoor warning sirens located throughout Oakland County. All sirens are activated by the transmission of an RF signal with a
tone alert. The signal is transmitted by the Oakland County Emergency Management. When sirens are activated a steady three minute tone indicates a tornado has been sighted or strongly indicated on radar and/or a severe thunderstorm with 70 mph winds or greater is in the area. Seek shelter immediately and listen to radio or television for more information, if it is safe to do so. Do not call police, fire departments or news media. Each siren is capable of covering
about a one mile radius from its location. The sirens are designed to alert citizens who are outside but citizens inside buildings may hear the siren if they are close to the siren location. It's up to you! Every year, many people are killed or seriously injured by tornadoes and/or high winds despite advance warning. Some do not hear the warning, while others received the warning but did not take action. This information, combined with timely severe weather watches and warnings, could save your life when severe weather threatens your area. After you have received the warning or observed threatening skies, YOU must make the decision to seek shelter before the storm arrives. It could be the most important decision you will ever make! Siren tests are NOT conducted during December, January, and February due to winter weather. Outdoor Warning SystemOutdoor Warning SirensWhy use outdoor warning sirens?Sirens are still the most effective method to warn the population at large in the shortest amount of time. People who may be outdoors at ball games, in their yard, or anywhere else where they are not in contact with the normal news media channels such as radio, TV or local public address systems. How are they activated? Radio control is the most popular method of activating sirens. To activate the siren system, the operator presses a button and a radio signal is transmitted. The signals are picked up by the receivers at the sirens. They decode the paging signals to determine what they are to do. A particular signal may instruct the sirens to give a weather warning call, while still another may cause the sirens to stop their sounding. With the new generation of communication signal processors, the variations are limitless. Why are they called outdoor warning sirens?The sirens are called outdoor warning sirens because their primary purpose is to alert people who are outside to severe weather, chemical, or other emergencies. While you may be able to hear the siren inside your house, this is not the primary function of the outdoor warning siren. What should I do if I hear an outdoor warning siren?If you hear an outdoor warning siren you should seek shelter inside immediately. Once inside, you should turn on a television or radio to find out further information. Local officials will be disseminating information about the emergency through these outlets. Does Boone County issue an "all clear" notice from the outdoor warning sirens?No. With the unpredictability of severe storms the outdoor warning sirens are intended to notify anyone outside to seek shelter indoors immediately. Once you are sheltering indoors, and connected to a media source providing up to date information, you may not hear the sirens any longer, thus it is important to seek further information elsewhere. Outdoor warning sirens are only intended to notify people outside of impending severe weather, not an all clear notice that the storm has passed. When are the outdoor warning sirens tested?The outdoor warning sirens are tested at noon on the first Wednesday of each month. In the event of threatening weather, the test may be postponed. What is the range of the outdoor warning sirens?The siren wail sound can be heard for an approximate distance of ½ mile. Sounds can travel different distances depending on weather and other atmospheric conditions, so please remember these distances are just estimates and that the primary function of the outdoor warning sirens is to warn people who are outside of emergencies. Does Boone County participate in the Statewide Tornado Drill?Yes. Every year the National Weather Service designates the date of Missouri's statewide tornado drill. The drill is generally held during the first two weeks of March. The National Weather Service usually sets the date for the drill by January each year. During the Statewide Tornado Drill, NOAA Weather Radios will alert, and citizens will hear the outdoor warning sirens sound. All citizens are encouraged to participate by practicing taking cover in their designated shelter. In the event of inclement weather, the drill will be rescheduled for a later date, usually within the same week. The Statewide Tornado Drill is conducted in addition to the regularly scheduled outdoor warning sirens test each month. Boone County Outdoor Warning System MapYou may view the map of the sirens or download the map in PDF format or download the map with census data in PDF format. Boone County Outdoor Warning System Locations
Report Malfunctioning SirensPlease submit an e-mail to Emergency Management with the following data:
What does a really long siren mean?you have a life-threatening emergency.
You will hear a long, steady siren sound. The sirens will be sounded several times for approximately three minutes each time.
What does each siren sound mean?Siren Tones
There are two different tones used by Outdoor Warning Sirens: Attack: The signal for enemy attack is a rising and falling tone heard for 3 minutes. Civil Emergency: The signal for a civil emergency (such as a tornado) is a steady wail heard for at least 3 minutes.
What does a 3 minute siren mean?The National Weather Service has determined two weather conditions for siren use. A steady tone, lasting 3 minutes, means a tornado watch or a severe thunderstorm watch.
What does a high pitch siren mean?A siren that incorporates high and low-pitched sounds, often de- scribed as an 'English' or Europe- an sounding siren, will be used to designate county fires. ▪ ALERT; A “steady” blaring sound, the 'Alert' siren will be used as a severe weather warning.
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Why do I hear a siren outside
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