Emergency Management
Outdoor Warning System
An Outdoor Warning System is a system designed to alert people who are outdoors and not in the safety of a sturdy structure. Usually, people are not around a radio, TV, or any other device that may provide weather warnings while they are outdoors. Traditionally, these systems have been mistakenly referred to as "tornado sirens," but the term fails to acknowledge all hazardous situations for sounding sirens. These situations include, but may not be limited to tornadoes, hail, high winds, or other catastrophic events in which the community needs to be informed immediately. The OWS should only be used as a supplemental warning tool. Citizens should always tune in to their local weather station to get additional information.
Testing:
The Outdoor Warning System is tested on the first Wednesday of each month at 1:00 p.m. The test is not performed when the weather is overcast or rainy, so that people won't confuse the test for an actual alert.
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