found an article about WHEN to sound sirens

[Lurrch]

Where I grew up, the sirens were steady for tornado warnings only and attack for fire calls. When I went to college, there were NO sirens. Then when I moved to where I am now, I heard them go off during a severe thunderstorm warning and freaked. Now I know that my area does that. Haven't had a tornado warning for my area yet to know what, if any difference there might be.

[Busgeek71]

I would use steady for tornado warnings, wail as a flood or other disaster signal, and fast wail for straight line winds >74mph (Cat. 1 hurricane). I would sound for a tornado if it is anywhere within the county.

Well, I belive it already is the law that the warnings are by county and not city - am I right? I mean, last year, when we had a tornado warning when I was in my [now] city of Warren, there were no actual tornadoes there, but they were in Macomb County, so the siren down the street went off. So, I've always thought that sirens go off county-wide if the warning is in that county - regardless if it's in that city or not.

Over here in Tulsa County, Tulsa is usually good with sounding sirens; however, other outlying towns have been not so good. Once when I was in a city north of Tulsa and there was a tornado warning for the county, but they didn't set off theirs. They seem extremely selective of when to sound.

[t-bolt82]

I think it is a good idea to sound sirens for tornadoes as well as thunderstorms with excessively high winds. However, I fell that using the same signal for both isn't a good idea. Here in Oakland County, the sirens are sounded for both Tornado Warnings and Severe Thunderstorms with winds in excess of 70mph; bith use Alert signal. I would reccomend using th Attack (or Fast Wail) signal for Tornado Warnings and Alert for Severe thunderstorm warnings, with a 1 min alert and 2 min attack for tests (electro mechanical sirens). For electronic sirens I would use Either Attack or Alert for Tornado Warnings and Hi-Lo or Alternate Wail for Severe T-Storms with 70+mph winds.

You live in Oakland County, MI? Hiya.

[loukycheckinin]

So what I am getting is that it all depends on where you live...and that is BAD. I agree, there should be some type of nationwide tonage if you will. Every siren is capable of alert and attack, so those two should be no problem.

But, Im gonna say it: I have never seen a severe thunderstorm so bad that the sirens should have been sounded. Now, I live in Louisville, where our system is ONLY sounded when a warning is issued or funnel is spotted. EVERYONE in lousville knows that if the sirens sound, its bad, real bad. To us, severe thunderstorms mean "dont go outside, go play on the computer." I, personally, have never witnessed 70+mph winds from a storm. IMO, if the city sounded the sirens for every severe thunderstorm we had (tornado watch or not), nobody would listen to them. period. Now, if they saw a storm coming that is producing 70+mph winds, fine, sound the sirens. But they would end up being useless around these parts if they fired off at every lightening strike.

[carexpertandy]

In Hamilton County, they won't sound the sirens if there's a report of a funnel cloud/tornado, and no warning is issued, because I heard that around 2002, a police officer reported a funnel cloud, there was no warning, the sirens sounded, and it turns out that it wasn't a funnel cloud.

[Jpressman8]

In Hamilton County, they won't sound the sirens if there's a report of a funnel cloud/tornado, and no warning is issued, because I heard that around 2002, a police officer reported a funnel cloud, there was no warning, the sirens sounded, and it turns out that it wasn't a funnel cloud.

They do sound for doppler or storm spotter indicated rotation and that is what prompted the warning on June 15th 2010. Someone spotted rotation near the ground around Cross County/Reagan highway near Finneytown and there were 5 other doppler indicated rotations. The warning has to be issued first. If the warning is'nt issued the sirens won't sound.