The Washington County Sheriff’s Office will be testing the outdoor warning siren activation system on “Tornado Drill Day” during the Minnesota Severe Weather Awareness Week.
The Washington County Sheriff’s Office and the cities that own and maintain the outdoor warning sirens in Washington County have been working to narrow band the outdoor warning siren transmitters and receivers as required by the FCC.
The outdoor warning sirens in Washington County will be tested at 1:45 p.m. on Thursday, April 19, and again at 6:55 p.m. that day.
Find out what's happening in Woodburywith free, real-time updates from Patch.
During the 1:45 p.m. test period, Washington County will conduct an activation test of the outdoor warning sirens from our primary activation system and our backup activation system.
The outdoor warning sirens are activated by geographic areas in Washington County. Washington County is split into two areas, north of Highway 36 and south of Highway 36. Washington County has three activation scenarios, All County, North area and South area depending on the location of a severe weather incident.
Find out what's happening in Woodburywith free, real-time updates from Patch.
Some cities have chosen to have their siren sound when there is tornado warning in either the North area or the South area.
During the 1:45 p.m. test period, citizens in Washington County will hear the sirens start and run for approximately 30 seconds, three or four different times while we test the three different activation scenarios. During the last test sequence of the 1:45 p.m. test period, the sirens will be allowed to run until they stop on their own.
The outdoor warning sirens will be sounded only once during the 6:55 p.m. test period.
Contact Dean Tilley, Radio System Manger at the Washington County Sheriff’s Office with any questions, 651-430-7863.
Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.
