Outdoor Warning Siren
Severe weather and tornadoes can happen any time of year but spring brings the greatest threat to the Central Savannah River Area. Stay 'weather alert' anytime severe weather is in the forecast. Make sure you know what to do if severe weather is heading your way. Warning siren policies vary from county to county. Here is some important information about Thomson-McDuffie County’s policy.
Thomson-McDuffie County only has 1 siren site located at the fire station on Main Street in Thomson. It is not designed to cover the entire county. Warning sirens are most useful for alerting people who are outside their home, in parks, or shopping areas close to downtown Thomson and possibly up to a 5 mile radius. Make sure you have at least two ways to receive a warning. NOAA All Hazards Radio is the best way to receive a warning and the details associated with that warning (especially overnight). You can also download a severe weather app to your smartphone.
Policy for Outdoor Warning Siren Activation
Our policy calls for the activation of our outdoor warning siren under the following conditions:
- A Severe Thunderstorm Warning is issued for our city/county and within the warning the winds are forecast to be greater than 70 MPH.
- A tornado WARNING is issues by the NWS for Thomson-McDuffie County.
- A tornado is sighted by a trained spotter or public safety official.
When the siren is activated it will sound for 3 minutes. When the siren stops it does not mean that the danger is over. There is only one tone that will be sounded. There will be no “ALL CLEAR” signal provided by the siren. If the siren sounds again a few minutes later or hours later that will mean that a new threat has been detected and you should seek shelter immediately.
When the siren sounds you should move indoors to a safe structure and tune in to the local radio, TV or NOAA weather radio for more information. If the siren does not activate and the weather appears threatening seek shelter immediately.
Siren Testing Policy
The siren will be tested on the first Wednesday of the month when the weather is clear.
