April 9, 2007

Baxter County emergency officials will begin testing tornado warning sirens at noon Monday through Friday starting today. The 20-second tests, which will replace the three-minute tests that normally were conducted at 6 p.m. every Wednesday, will not be conducted on days when inclement weather is predicted.

The tests consist of a 20-second air horn blast to keep sirens in operating capacity in the event of an actual tornado. During an actual emergency, the sirens will blow a high tone then a low tone, indicating a tornado has been sighted in the Baxter County area. The all-clear signal, sounded after the danger has passed, is a continuous, steady siren sound.

For questions about testing or weather emergencies, call 424-6119.

Do not use the 911 emergency number for inquiries or other non-emergency calls.