03/16/2026
Also to add that most alarms are at fire departments that are volunteer. They have to see the NOAA weather alert and then physically go to the station to set off the alarm. This is the reason for a possible delay in alarms going off. Or it could located at a municipal building that is not staffed 24/7.
Many people do not realize that there isn’t someone just sitting and waiting to set off the alarm.
There could be delays in the sirens going off.
Please do not use the sirens as the primary or only indicator of life threatening weather conditions. Especially in our tech age there are many ways to get this information.
OUTDOOR WARNING SIRENS: Let's talk about these sirens.
Many people believe they should be able to hear them inside because they hear them every month during the monthly test. Think about how different the weather conditions are. If it's windy, raining, thundering or hailing when they go off, you may not hear them compared to on a quiet, sunny day when they test them.
Many people think they are the gospel when it comes to alerts. They aren't and they shouldn't be. You might be asleep, doing something, not paying attention, etc. if and when they go off. They should never be a primary way to get weather alerts. In fact, they are designed for those outdoors to get alerts, not those indoors. If you're inside, have at least two ways to get alerts. This could be a NOAA Weather Radio, WCIA WeatherCall, the WCIA 3 Weather App, watching TV or a local county text/call alert system if you have one.
Many people also believe that if they go off, it means a tornado is nearby. That's often NOT the case. Each county and municipality also has different criteria for sounding the outdoor warning sirens. Some do it for confirmed tornadoes only, even if there's a tornado warning. Some do it for wind gusts above a certain criteria or for very large hail. Some blow them if a tornado is within a certain distance. Some set them off for the whole county even if only part of a county is included. It's not a perfect nor is it an ideal system, but it does serve its purpose.
So, how should you treat outdoor warning sirens? The easiest way to view these is that when the sirens blow, you go look for more information. They are going off for a reason, but they don't tell you that reason. Many of you already do this. When you hear them, either you are already watching coverage or you begin to look for weather coverage/information. 95% of the time if there are sirens going off, we're probably at least on digital platforms, if not on TV providing weather coverage in some capacity. And, we'll work to provide you that information.
