# Severe Weather? What do your cities sirens sound like?



## Chicagoago (Dec 2, 2005)

Does your city get bad weather? Do you have warning sirens? 

Here's what Chicago's sound like:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F0m1BN4ZmAQ







In my neighborhood (gets good at 1 min 10sec):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rtNOIIBIBJw





Here are the sirens in my hometown of Iowa City. It's more of a solid siren than Chicago's wailing sirens. This was a tornado that swept through the center of the city about 15 months ago.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ElhLVSEpQxA


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## Somnifor (Sep 6, 2005)

The sirens in Minneapolis sound like air raid sirens because they are the old air raid sirens from the cold war.

I suspect that most people outside of the Midwestern and southeastern US don't have severe weather sirens because they generally don't get many tornados or high wind thunderstorms.


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## Xusein (Sep 27, 2005)

We don't have any sirens in these parts, not much of a need since weather is rarely severe here.


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## Chicagoago (Dec 2, 2005)

Somnifor said:


> The sirens in Minneapolis sound like air raid sirens because they are the old air raid sirens from the cold war.
> 
> I suspect that most people outside of the Midwestern and southeastern US don't have severe weather sirens because they generally don't get many tornados or high wind thunderstorms.


I saw an article from Minneapolis that the city was trying to inform immigrants what the sirens mean. They talked to a lot of them, and when they hear them for the first time a lot of people freak out. They don't know english or understand what's happening. One woman said she threw her bike down and ran home as fast as she could because she thought she was going to be arrested or was in trouble. Sounds a bit strange since they're blasting over the whole city....but whatever. I guess an immigrant died last year during a storm because he didn't know what was going on and left his car and was killed by a falling tree. I can see freaking out when sirens suddenly start going off.


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## Chicagoago (Dec 2, 2005)

I've gotta say - this is a bizzare siren. I love how people in tornado alley just walk around and complain cause they hear them all the time.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c1xc05HEwSk


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## Chicagoago (Dec 2, 2005)

And the Dallas, Texas area.

The sirens actually speak out over the whole city. Kinda creepy.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FIDXV0e3uLI


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## RawLee (Jul 9, 2007)

Last time sirens were used here was the WWII,during air raids.


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## Chicagoago (Dec 2, 2005)

Strange how most Americans today would just associate them with tornadoes, and Europeans probably have an entirely different view. Doesn't anyone else get dangerous tornadoes other than the American midwest and south?

What would a WWII generation person from London think if they were visiting Chicago and suddenly it was like that first link I posted?


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## techniques1200s (Mar 11, 2005)

San Francisco has old air-raid sirens from WWII (to warn against the Japanese bombing raids that never came), that still go off every Tuesday at noon. A couple years ago they were updated, and the wailing of the siren was shortened somewhat, and a voice was added afterwards, stating: "This is a test. This is a test of the outdoor warning system. This is only a test."

It does sound pretty ominous though, and can be heard throughout the city.


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## Chicagoago (Dec 2, 2005)

^ what's it actually for now though?

I was in Amsterdam at a friends a few weeks ago, and all the sudden at noon all these sirens started blasting. I woke him up out of curiosity and he said it was the monthly air-raid testing. I thought that was kinda fascinating, that it'd been going on so long. Who would bomb Amsterdam from the air in 2007?


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## LMCA1990 (Jun 18, 2005)

I don't think Miami has sirens. Just the beaches I guess. It would all over the news and radio if a hurricane was coming.


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## sequoias (Dec 21, 2004)

I think there are sirens for volcanic eruption in the valley east of Tacoma, WA and also tsunami sirens at the coast of WA and Oregon. I believe they aren't WWII air raid sirens. I'm pretty sure they're newer versions of them.


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## Jaeger (May 11, 2006)

There are flooding sirens in parts of the UK including around the River
Severn, whilst maximum security hospitals, some prisons and of
course military and nuclear power sites also have sirens.

The Broadmoor High Security Hospital in Berkshire tests it's sirens every
monday morning at 10am. The Sirens were installed after a patient
escaped in the 1950's and killed a little girl in a neighbouring village.

Broadmoor Sirens on youtube.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dByjdhWMBGQ


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## RawLee (Jul 9, 2007)

Actually,thinking a bit, I've found 1 place in Hungary,where alarm sirens go off twice a year. In the settlements close to our nuclear power plant. Trainings take place in every 6th month,and the local firefighters then practice evacuation.


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## Republica (Jun 30, 2005)

Those chicago ones are pretty scary.

The only one ive heard in england is at war museums. Oh and there was this guy who lived near me who's dad had a world war one and he used to set it off every now and then!


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## Xelebes (Apr 1, 2007)

Edmonton doesn't have tornado sirens. We use radios and tvs for severe weather. We took down our air-raid sirens in the late 90's.


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## bryson662001 (Nov 3, 2005)

My city doesn't have severe weather and I am sure there are no sirens.


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## Tymel (Jan 9, 2007)

NYC dosent have any


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## Chicagoago (Dec 2, 2005)

I guess I thought all cities had them. Maybe I've been in the midwest too long. I must say though, after living in Iowa my whole life and being use to the sirens a few times a year, when I was in the Loop (during that storm in the first link) and heard them, it definitely makes the hair on the back of your neck stand up. It was a creepy, almost paniced feeling - they were so loud and invading. You know you're among 3,000,000 people who suddenly all have their attention on the exact same thing. And you don't really know how to react.


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## Xelebes (Apr 1, 2007)

Yeah, those sirens are real haunting. I actually cried while watching the video.

Maybe the sirens did go off here in the '87 Tornado and thus etched in my early developing memories?


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## -Corey- (Jul 8, 2005)

Chicagoago said:


> And the Dallas, Texas area.
> 
> The sirens actually speak out over the whole city. Kinda creepy.
> 
> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FIDXV0e3uLI


Damn that's scary


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## gladisimo (Dec 11, 2006)

Woah, anyone know if San Francisco has them?

The only one I know of is the emergency alert system, which is useless if you're not watching TV or the radio


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## Somnifor (Sep 6, 2005)

^^ They may have them for tsunamis but haven't needed to use them. I know Washington has sirens for tsunamis.

I once heard the emergency alert system on the radio go off for real, that freaked me out because generally it is just a test, you never think it will be for the real thing. It had a robotic voice talking about a brief tornado touchdown in the St Paul suburbs and telling people in the path of the storm to take cover.


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## Chicagoago (Dec 2, 2005)

^ we use to hear them in Iowa a few times a year. 

Usually you're watching TV and all the sudden it all goes grey on every channel and this loud high pitched BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP goes off for a few seconds. Then someone comes on saying it's not a test, a tornado on the ground in your immediate area, and to get to safety right away. It's strange how they can butt in on every single TV channel and the radio at the same time.

This is what I remember growing up. Going outside and seeing the sky like this. All you can think is "....ohhhhhhh shit". Time to get the cat, dog, photo album and crawl under the basement stairs. Our family had many wonderful times down there....haha.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Phhrb7Qysz8


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## Brice (Sep 11, 2002)

In France the emergency alert system is testes every month, the first Wednesday at noon.
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x26oj4_sirene-dalerte_politics



In Zurich :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9JDLl1CMuNs


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## invincible (Sep 13, 2002)

I don't know of any co-ordinated system, but my closest fire station does have a siren mounted on top of a tower. Never heard it in use though.

Some bushfire prone towns have sirens installed on power/light poles which sort of sound like a quieter air raid siren.


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## Shukie (Mar 29, 2007)

Chicagoago said:


> ^ what's it actually for now though?
> 
> I was in Amsterdam at a friends a few weeks ago, and all the sudden at noon all these sirens started blasting. I woke him up out of curiosity and he said it was the monthly air-raid testing. I thought that was kinda fascinating, that it'd been going on so long. Who would bomb Amsterdam from the air in 2007?


I don't know what your friend was smoking, but those sirens are used for any type of calamity. Air-raids are so 1940.


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## Chicagoago (Dec 2, 2005)

Well we were in central Amsterdam and right at noon I heard crazy sirens blaring all over the city. What do you think it could have been? He was asleep when I woke him up and very casually said "oh....those are air raid sirens they test every month" I asked how long they've been doing it, and he said "since the war". Then he passed back out.


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## Republica (Jun 30, 2005)

im surprised that places in Europe still have these. I would expect RAF and Army bases to have them, but cities? 

Does anywhere have them in the UK anyone know?


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## Shukie (Mar 29, 2007)

Chicagoago said:


> Well we were in central Amsterdam and right at noon I heard crazy sirens blaring all over the city. What do you think it could have been? He was asleep when I woke him up and very casually said "oh....those are air raid sirens they test every month" I asked how long they've been doing it, and he said "since the war". Then he passed back out.


This is what you heard right?


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## Chicagoago (Dec 2, 2005)

^ that's exactly it, yes. It's got a funky little style to it.


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## FREKI (Sep 27, 2005)

Chicagoago said:


> Does your city get bad weather? Do you have warning sirens?


We get some windy weather from time to time.. but nothing severe.. and certainly not enough to get any warning sirens to sound!


We do have sirens, but they are only used in case of chemical/nuclear accidents or war.. ( so nothing especially likely ) they are tested once a year..


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## Hanshin-Tigress (Apr 10, 2007)

In japan we have bomb sirens
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jg3PBdfS2n4


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## tykho (Oct 18, 2004)

Chicagoago said:


> Does your city get bad weather? Do you have warning sirens?
> 
> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F0m1BN4ZmAQ


I don't know how common it is in other places in southern Europe but in Portugal they are pretty common, specially during the summer months.


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## Dan1987 (Mar 28, 2004)

Jaeger said:


> The Broadmoor High Security Hospital in Berkshire tests it's sirens every
> monday morning at 10am. The Sirens were installed after a patient
> escaped in the 1950's and killed a little girl in a neighbouring village.
> 
> ...


I hear that every Monday at 10am, I'm in Camberley which is near Broadmoor.

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=ESlAhH9pVXs Here's a Flood Warning Siren in Essex


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## Nephasto (Feb 6, 2004)

tykho said:


> I don't know how common it is in other places in southern Europe but in Portugal they are pretty common, specially during the summer months.



What?!?!?!

I'm portuguese and I've never heard a siren like those in my hole life!

I'm quite sure portuguese cities don't have any kind alarm system.
I live near Porto, Portugal's 2nd largest city, and I've never hear any siren in here.


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## tykho (Oct 18, 2004)

^^ 
A sério! Tás com sorte, porque eu vivo perto de St.M Feira e farto-me de ouvir cirenes durante os meses quentes de verão por cause dos incêndios, e não estou a referir-me às sirenes dos carros dos bombeiros.


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## goschio (Dec 2, 2002)

I know sirens for air raids and nuclear attacks only. Really scary.


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## Nephasto (Feb 6, 2004)

tykho said:


> ^^
> A sério! Tás com sorte, porque eu vivo perto de St.M Feira e farto-me de ouvir cirenes durante os meses quentes de verão por cause dos incêndios, e não estou a referir-me às sirenes dos carros dos bombeiros.


Nunca ouvi. :dunno:


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## Jaeger (May 11, 2006)

Dan1987 said:


> I hear that every Monday at 10am, I'm in Camberley which is near Broadmoor.
> 
> http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=ESlAhH9pVXs Here's a Flood Warning Siren in Essex


kay:

The Broadmoor Siren can be heard over 15 miles.  

During the Cold War every village in the UK had a siren system, it was connected via the telecommunication system. 

Now it's really just flood warnings in East Anglia, around the Severn etc, high security hospitals/prisions and military/nuclear facilities.

Here's the Portsmouth (England) Naval Base Siren - 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0lnPCN6Bjvk


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