Severe Weather
  Sirens Weather Terms Snow Emergency
  Sirens  
  In Hamilton County, the outdoor warning sirens will sound a steady tone for five (5) minutes when a Tornado Warning is issued by the National Weather Service (NWS).   See the Siren Activation Criteria 2011 below.

Click here for a demo of the tone you would hear.

A map of all Hamilton Counties Outdoor Warning Sirens can be found here.

The outdoor warning sirens in Hamilton County are tested the first Wednesday of each month at noon.  

For additional information on severe weather safety and preparedness, visit the Ohio Committee for Severe Weather Awareness web site at: www.weathersafety.ohio.gov

 
 

 
 

Click for pdf Press Release March 2012

 
 

SIREN ACTIVATION CRITERIA 2011

 
 

Tornado Warning:

When issued by the National Weather Service (NWS) of a TORNADO WARNING for Hamilton County, the warning sirens will be activated on a county-wide basis by the county's primary control point using the steady tone.  Warnings issued by the NWS for Hamilton County are based on severe weather occurrences observed in or approaching Hamilton County.

Report or a Tornado or Funnel Cloud Sighting:

Upon confirmation of an actual sighting of a tornado with a public safety official from the jurisdiction making the report, the warning sirens will be activated on a county-wide basis using the steady tone.

Hazardous Material Release:

Sirens may be activated at the request of the incident commander during a hazardous material release.  The siren activation should be accompanied by an Emergency Alert System (EAS) activation, which can only be authorized by the Sheriff or Emergency Management Director.  Press releases, and the activation of the Codespear system will be accomplished as soon as possible, to advise the public regarding proper actions to take during the emergency.  Proper actions could be to evacuate, or to "Shelter in Place".

Other:

There may be other severe weather or emergency issues where, at the discretion of the duty officer, it may be necessary to activate the sirens to warn the public to take appropriate actions.   Anytime this action takes place, appropriate information will be immediately relayed to all media outlets for dissemination to the public.

 
HSGP Links