Is a storm coming to North Texas? Reasons why you may be hearing an Outdoor Warning Siren
That sound, however, is meant to keep you safe.
According to the National Weather Service, scattered storms are expected from Monday night through Tuesday morning, with mid-to-late week storm chances for the remainder of the week. Those storms could bring large hail and strong, gusty winds.
Here is what Texans should know about the sound they hear during storms.
Outdoor Warning Sirens are commonly referred to as "tornado sirens," but this term is misleading. These sirens function as an all-hazards alert system, providing alerts for various emergencies beyond tornadoes.
According to the North Central Texas Council of Governments, each city determines the specific criteria for activating its outdoor sirens. While the conditions that trigger the alarms may differ slightly from place to place, they are generally set off by similar factors, including when the following conditions are met:
The National Weather Service issues a Tornado Warning.
The National Weather Service issues a Severe Thunderstorm Warning and indicates the potential for destructive winds of 70 mph or greater.
Trained storm spotters have reported a tornado in the jurisdiction or in a neighboring jurisdiction that has the potential to affect your community.
Observed hail of 1.5' in diameter or greater.
Other emergencies, as directed by the community's designated public safety officials.
Take cover right away. If no shelter is accessible and severe weather is approaching, find safety in a ditch, ravine, culvert, or other low-lying area.
Ensure that the spot you choose is not at risk of flooding. Shield your head and neck with your arms or a piece of clothing for protection. When a siren sounds while you're indoors, take cover in an interior room without windows for your safety.
According to Dallas City Hall, the outdoor warning system is tested on the first Wednesday of every month at noon, weather permitting.
This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Why outdoor sirens could go off this week in North Texas
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
17 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Tropical Storm Erin predicted to become major hurricane. Here's what SC can expect
Brewing west of Cabo Verde, Tropical Storm Erin is moving across the Atlantic. The National Hurricane Center officially named the storm Monday morning and expects Erin will develop into the first hurricane of the season this week. 'It's forecasted to reach hurricane strength by Wednesday afternoon and major hurricane strength by Saturday afternoon,' said National Weather Service meteorologist Rachel Zouzias. With maximum sustained winds of 45 mph, Erin is expected to reach northeast of Puerto Rico and impact currents along the southeastern United States coast by next weekend. 'As this storm moves west-northwest, the big impact for us, as it looks right now, would be rip current for the weekend,' Zouzias said. 'As the winds increase, it'll drive larger swells into our area and increase the rip current threat across our area.' It's too soon to say how Erin will progress into next week and if it'll make landfall on the East Coast. 'We'll have to watch and see how it intensifies, how it tracks and all that,' said Zouzias. 'It's too far out to say, but it's not at this point, it's not going to hit the southeast coast.' The NHC is also tracking two other tropical disturbances, one in the northwestern Atlantic and one in the northcentral Gulf. Neither is likely to form a cyclone, with just a 10% chance and a near-zero chance of developing into a named storm over the next seven days, respectively.
Wall Street Journal
an hour ago
- Wall Street Journal
Alaska's Glacier Flood Threat Prompts Juneau to Urge Evacuations
A melting glacier in Juneau, Alaska, is pouring water into a lake and river that runs through the state's capital, threatening the area with historic flooding for the third straight year. The Suicide Basin, adjacent to the Mendenhall Glacier above Juneau, has been gushing water into the Mendenhall Lake and Mendenhall River since Tuesday. The National Weather Service projects the Mendenhall River will crest Wednesday morning, which could lead to catastrophic flooding.
CNN
2 hours ago
- CNN
A glacier outburst is underway in Alaska. It's sending a surge of water downstream toward Juneau
A wave of water gushing out of an Alaskan glacial lake is causing a river to surge to a record level and is threatening significant flooding in the state capital of Juneau for the third consecutive August. 'A glacial outburst has occurred at Suicide Basin. The basin is releasing and flooding is expected along Mendenhall Lake and River,' Juneau officials said in a Tuesday news release. 'Officials recommend residents in the 17ft lake level inundation zone evacuate the area until the flood waters recede.' Suicide Basin is a glacial lake attached to the Mendenhall Glacier that runs up against the western portion of Juneau, about 10 miles from the city's center. The basin formed as parts of its glacier melted and retreated and now acts like a giant bucket, filling up with rain, snow and ice that slowly melts over the summer. Eventually, Suicide Basin gets so full that it escapes the surrounding ice of the Mendenhall Glacier. When that happens, water gushes out into the nearby Mendenhall Lake and eventually surges down the river. The Mendenhall River, which flows along the west side of the city, eclipsed its previous record high level of 15.99 feet Wednesday morning after rising more than 7 feet since the National Weather Service issued the first flood warning for the area Tuesday morning. It's expected to crest at around 16.7 feet sometime Wednesday morning, well above the previous record crest set just last August. The river pulled in large trees as it rose overnight, making conditions even more hazardous. 'It's very dangerous right now. Stay away if you can,' said Andrew Park, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Juneau, warning any mariners in the area to 'keep your eyes peeled for big trees.' Waters rose quickly after the glacial outburst began late Tuesday morning. Significant flooding was reported in the Mendenhall Lake that evening, with more than three feet of water gathering in some areas, according to the weather service. Last year's glacier outburst caused the river to surge to 15.99 feet, unleashing destructive flooding in Juneau that impacted more than 100 homes. City officials characterized the flood severity as 'unprecedented.' The river level in 2024 topped the one reached during 2023's early August glacial flood by a full foot. Officials urged residents to prepare Juneau installed a flood barrier along the area that was inundated in 2024, a city spokesperson told CNN. There are roughly 1,000 residents and businesses in that part of the city, the spokesperson said Tuesday. Officials urged everyone in the inundation area to evacuate Tuesday night. 'Don't wait, Evacuate TONIGHT,' the city said in a Facebook post. 'This is likely to become a life-threatening situation. If you are told to evacuate, stop what you are doing and immediately go to an emergency shelter or another safe location,' said Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski in an X post Tuesday. On Sunday, Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy issued a preemptive disaster declaration to better streamline emergency response efforts to the outburst. 'By issuing this declaration before the flood occurs, we can position state resources and personnel in advance to support local and tribal governments in their efforts to protect lives, homes, and essential services,' Dunleavy said in a statement. 'Our goal is to act early to reduce impacts and preserve community safety.' The capital of Alaska, Juneau has a population of about 33,000, according to the the US Census Bureau. The city is surrounded by coastal waters to the west and south. Why does this keep happening? The glacial lake outbursts have become a regular occurrence since 2011 and have worsened considerably each year since 2023. They are yet another consequence of climate change due to fossil fuel pollution. The Arctic, including Alaska, is warming twice as fast as the rest of the planet as global temperatures rise. This is causing glaciers, like these in Alaska, to thin or melt altogether. Rising temperatures have severely reduced the expanse of the Mendenhall Glacier and its Suicide Basin, creating the annual glacial lake outburst hazard as ice gets replaced by liquid water and rises closer and closer to that 'bathtub' edge throughout the summer. Studies in recent years have shown that between 10 and 15 million people globally are exposed to impacts of glacial lake outburst flooding like what's unfolding in Juneau. Glaciers are melting and losing mass globally at an increasingly rapid rate as the world warms, producing more and larger glacial lakes, a 2024 study found. The uptick in number and size of glacial lakes is expected to increase the frequency of outburst flooding events in the future.
