ST. LOUIS – The City of St. Louis is re-testing tornado sirens Tuesday afternoon after a failure to sound them during a deadly tornado Friday. With that, there is also an opportunity to share what the public may not know about the sirens.
One of the most common misunderstandings is that tornado sirens are not a reliable warning source for those inside—according to the National Weather Service, sirens are designated for those who are outdoors. Because of this, officials urge residents to have multiple ways to receive weather alerts inside—from phone notifications, NOAA weather radios, or local television and websites.
Wireless Emergency Alerts are official messages from government agencies regarding natural disasters, public safety threats, or missing persons. The notifications are automatically sent to your phone with a loud ringer to it, but the setting must be enabled on the phone. To learn how to enable the notifications on your phone, click here.
One of the most important things to remember is that when the siren stops sounding, it does not mean that the weather threat is over. According to Missouri Storm Aware, sirens in the state usually sound for three minutes at a time. There is no siren for an “all-clear” signal.
The sirens aren’t always for an imminent tornado threat either, according to NWS. Sometimes, it can be for life-threatening hail or wind. For example, if winds reach 70 mph, trees can snap or be uprooted, and hail that is large enough can break windows, a siren can sound.
To learn more about the sirens, click here.
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