Severe weather Sunday led to the activation of outdoor warning sirens in Columbus; here is why you did or didn’t hear the sirens:
Sunday afternoon’s severe weather and tornado led to the outdoor warning sirens being sounded throughout the city of Columbus.
Image: Columbus Consolidated Government
The sirens were sounded once for an actual tornado warning, but then sounded again multiple times during a malfunction shortly thereafter.
The sirens went off around 4 P.M. when a tornado warning was issued in the Midland and the extreme northeastern area of Muscogee County, along with the cities of Waverly Hall, Talbotton, and Junction City.
Nearly 3 hours and 30 minutes later, around 7:30 P.M., the sirens sounded again during a malfunction. But the severe weather and the outdoor warning sirens brought the question of how do the outdoor warning sirens operate.
Forty-seven outdoor warning sirens are placed throughout the city and are sounded when a warning is issued by the National Weather Service. When the warning is issued, the sirens only inside the polygon issued by the National Weather Service are activated.
“For example, if a tornado warning is issued for North Columbus, only the sirens in that area will sound. South Columbus sirens would remain silent, preventing confusion and unnecessary panic,” Councilwoman Toyia Tucker said. “This targeted approach ensures that people who need to take shelter are alerted without causing false alarms for those who are not in danger. It’s a smart, data-driven way to keep our community safe and informed.”
While outdoor sirens are extremely important, they are only designed to be heard when outside so make sure to have multiple ways to receive weather alerts such as NOAA weather radio, etc.
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