What you may not know about tornado sirens
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.
To stay up-to-date with the latest weather, download the FOX 2 STL+ app on your Roku, Apple TV, or Amazon Fire TV or visit the FOX 2 Weather page.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
E&E News
an hour ago
- E&E News
NWS hires won't make up for Trump cuts, meteorologists say
New hiring efforts at the National Weather Service won't be enough to overcome staffing shortages and potential risks to human lives this summer, meteorologists warned Wednesday at a panel hosted by Democratic Washington Sen. Maria Cantwell. NOAA will hire around 125 new employees at the NWS, the agency said in an announcement first reported Monday by CNN. But nearly 600 employees have departed the NWS over the last few months, after the Trump administration fired probationary federal employees and offered buyouts and early retirements. That means the new hires will account for less than 25 percent of the total losses. Advertisement 'A quarter of the staff are not going to do the job when, let's just say, both hurricane and fire risks are increasing,' Cantwell said during Wednesday's panel. '[The Trump administration's] approach in response to this has been a flimsy Band-Aid over a very massive cut.'
Newsweek
an hour ago
- Newsweek
California Severe Gale Warning, 14ft Waves, All Boats Ordered to Safe Harbor
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. A severe gale warning and hazardous seas declaration affected waters off Northern California on Thursday, with the National Weather Service (NWS) in Eureka urging all boats to seek safe harbor as waves forecast to reach 14 feet and wind gusts to top 40 knots. The warnings applied to mariners from Cape Mendocino to Point Arena, covering a stretch 10 to 60 nautical miles offshore. These warnings meant boaters along the coast faced immediate risk of capsizing or damage due to extreme sea and wind conditions. Interactive maps from showed the affected areas. The Gale Warning, issued at 2:55 a.m. PDT, remained in effect until 9:00 a.m., with a Hazardous Seas Warning taking over until 10:00 p.m. on June 5. There was a separate storm warning for mariners and coastal communities in Oregon from Florence to Cape Blanco, as officials enforced advisories across the region. Why It Matters This round of urgent warnings came as wave heights and winds intensified across the Pacific coast, creating dangerous surf, powerful rip currents, and the potential for maritime accidents. As California moves into its transitional spring-to-summer period, the scope and strength of these NWS alerts raised serious safety concerns for boaters, swimmers, surfers, and beach visitors. Recurring fatalities linked to rip currents and sneaker waves have amplified calls for public caution and compliance with official instructions. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) data showed more than two dozen deaths from rip currents and sneaker waves already in 2025, including four in California, underscoring the life-threatening nature of these hazards. Immediate public awareness and preventive action can mitigate further tragedies. What To Know NWS Issues Major Marine Advisories The hazardous conditions off the coast from Cape Mendocino to Point Arena saw north winds of 25 to 35 knots, with gusts up to 40 knots (about 46 miles per hour), and seas building from 12 to 14 feet, according to the NWS Eureka office. The warned impacts included capsizing and watercraft damage along with sharply reduced visibility. Authorities specified that "mariners should alter plans to avoid these hazardous conditions. Remain in port, seek safe harbor, alter course, and/or secure the vessel for severe conditions." Statewide, Warnings Create Widespread Risk Dangerous conditions have extended along California's entire coast throughout early June. From the Oregon border to San Diego, NWS issued a combination of gale warnings, hazardous seas, and beach hazards statements. The situation was not limited to offshore waters. Beach hazard statements remained in effect for the greater Los Angeles, Ventura County, Malibu, and Orange County coastlines due to long-period south swells generating surf to 6 feet and hazardous rip currents. These conditions were forecast to persist through the week, endangering swimmers and surfers alike. Precedent of Recent Fatalities NOAA's tracking showed 26 U.S. fatalities related to rip current and sneaker wave hazards in 2025, including four California deaths: a 39-year-old man and an 8-year-old boy at Cowell Ranch State Beach (January 19), a 43-year-old man at Gerstle Cove (March 3), and a man in his 70s at Rodeo Beach (March 25). Official Guidance for Mariners and Public Authorities repeatedly stressed compliance with safety advisories. Mariners were asked to secure vessels, seek safe harbor, or remain docked while hazardous conditions continued. What Happens Next High winds and elevated wave heights are expected to persist across the California coast through at least late June 5, with gradual easing forecast by June 6 or later, as officials continue to monitor weather developments and urge strict compliance with all marine advisories.
USA Today
an hour ago
- USA Today
Trump budget cuts spark new hurricane season fears: 'A bad miss'
Trump budget cuts spark new hurricane season fears: 'A bad miss' A Miami TV meteorologist asked viewers to call Congress about NOAA's budget, fearing it harms hurricane forecasting. He's not the only one worried. Show Caption Hide Caption NOAA, FEMA cuts will impact hurricane season, experts warn The Trump administration's budget cuts at NOAA and FEMA will have an adverse affect on how the U.S. responds to hurricanes, experts warn. Meteorologist John Morales, a 34-year veteran TV weatherman in Miami, has urged his viewers to call their elected officials in Washington D.C., saying he fears federal government cuts will jeopardize the accuracy of hurricane forecasts this summer. After playing a clip of an August 2019 forecast where he reassured viewers that even though Hurricane Dorian appeared bound for Florida's East Coast it would turn northward and skirt the state, Morales said: "Confidently I went on TV and told you it's going to turn; you don't need to worry, it's going to turn." "I'm here to tell you that I'm not sure I can do that this year, because of the cuts, the gutting, the sledgehammering attack on science in general," Morale told his viewers at WTVJ, an ABC affiliate. "The quality of the forecasts is being degraded." More than 550 people left the service this year through rounds of probationary firings, incentivized departures and retirement offers by the Trump administration. As a result, more than a dozen weather service offices have reduced or eliminated the daily collection of data via weather balloons, while others shut down their overnight shifts and are sharing forecast duties among other offices. Asked to respond to Morales' plea, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, parent agency of the weather service, including the National Hurricane Center, defended the center and said it's taking steps to fill some of the staffing gaps at weather service offices around the country. The hurricane center "has a sufficient number of forecasters to fill mission-critical operational shifts during the 2025 hurricane season," and remains dedicated to its mission, said Erica Grow Cei, a meteorologist and public affairs specialist with the weather service. Although earlier in the year the federal firings of probationary employees at NOAA included two flight directors and a flight engineer with the agency's hurricane hunters program in Lakeland, Florida, those positions were later restored, shortly after the White House learned of the cuts from the news media. At the weather service, NOAA is conducting short-term temporary duty assignments and has offered reassignment opportunities to try to move people around to the most understaffed offices. Cei said the service also will soon advertise a number of permanent, mission-critical field positions despite an ongoing hiring freeze to "further stabilize frontline operations." 'A missed forecast' possible James Franklin, a retired former branch chief for hurricane specialists at the hurricane center, said he doesn't think anybody knows yet what will happen with forecasts this summer. "A lot depends on what happens with the budget going forward," Franklin said. However, by reducing the amount of critical data gathered in balloon launches in places across the country, "you increase the chances that model forecasts are going to have a bad miss." "It doesn't matter whether the sites missed are in Miami, Key West or Des Moines, Iowa," he said. "The point is you could miss data in the Midwest" that helps forecast features in the atmosphere that help steer hurricanes around as they approach the U.S. When they pass through an area with less coverage from the equipment launched in the balloons, the forecast might change a little bit and get degraded, he said. Instead of accurately predicting a storm striking Florida, for example, the forecast could change and turn the storm "out to sea because of a missed forecast." Weather service staffing shortages Weather service staffing already was tight, even before the Trump administration's cuts, former NOAA staff members have said, but in some weather service offices, the vacancies have been dramatic. "NOAA is still critically understaffed," said Brian LaMarre, who recently retired as meteorologist-in-charge of the Ruskin/Tampa weather service office and founded the consulting business Inspire Weather. Among the 122 forecast offices, almost a third are without a meteorologist-in-charge, LaMarre said. "Now that hurricane season is here, a lot more people are starting to hear about the challenges." Nationwide, more than a third of the offices are considered "critically understaffed," with vacancy rates of 20% or more, USA TODAY previously reported. Morales said the weather service offices in Central and South Florida are 20-40% understaffed. "What you need to do is call your representatives and make sure these cuts are stopped," said Morales, one of a number of meteorologists worried the widespread staffing shortages. "Never have we faced the combustible mix of a lack of meteorological data and the less accurate forecasts that follow, with an elevated propensity for the rapidly intensifying hurricanes of the manmade climate change era," he wrote in a post on June 1, the opening day of the annual Atlantic hurricane season. He quoted a letter penned earlier this year by five former weather service directors who said they fear a "needless loss of life" from the cuts. What happened with Hurricane Dorian? After pummeling the Bahamas as a Category Five hurricane, with winds of more than 170 mph, Dorian skirted Florida, Georgia and South Carolina, stirring up rough surf and eroding beaches. It eventually made landfall over Cape Hatteras, North Carolina on September 6, 2019. Although most of its worst winds were to the east, Dorian raked the Outer Banks with wind gusts of over 100 mph, before returning to the Atlantic Ocean, the hurricane center reported. The hurricane made another landfall as a strong, post-tropical cyclone in Nova Scotia on September 7. Before and after: Incredible images reveal Hurricane Dorian's destruction in the Bahamas Dinah Voyles Pulver, a national correspondent for USA TODAY, writes about hurricanes, violent weather and other environmental issues. Reach her at dpulver@ or @dinahvp on Bluesky or X or dinahvp.77 on Signal.
