Emergency Sirens

What do sirens tell you?

Being prepared when disaster strikes can help save lives and property, prevent injury and decrease recovery costs.

Knowing what the City's warning sirens are telling you is part of being prepared for emergencies. Understanding the three siren tones can help you take the right action to protect yourself and those around you.

There are more than 80 in the city, each audible for up to a mile. Tulsa's sirens use tones that warn citizens about tornadoes, military attacks and about chemical releases into the atmosphere.

There is an additional warning that is unique to Tulsa, which is a flood warning tone that is not a part of the federal guidelines for siren warning systems.

Important Note:

• Sirens are only a part of Tulsa's warning systems and are intended to warn people who are outdoors about impending dangers.
• The warning system also includes local news media, NOAA Weather Radios and even some local wireless phone and pager services.

Three types of sounds

First is the three-minute "steady" tone. It warns of impending tornadoes and of chemical releases into the atmosphere. It is a one-note tone. The only change in sound during the three-minute period may be an increase or decrease in volume that is caused by a change in wind direction or velocity.

(Hearing the steady-tone siren during pleasant weather may be a signal to protect yourself from hazardous materials which can be released by industrial or transportation system accidents. Depending on the material involved, and on wind and weather conditions, a hazard may be posed for a small area or a large area of the community.)

Listen: Tornado and Chemical Release

How is it triggered?

• For Tornados: Automatically (with a manual option)
  • When NWS Tulsa drops a tornado warning polygon over an area of Tulsa proper, or over an area that overlaps with Tulsa proper, the nearest siren(s) is automatically activated and sounds within that area.
  • If the tornado warning is extended to an area outside of that polygon, but is still within Tulsa proper, the siren(s) in that affected area will automatically sound.
  • Should there ever be a problem with the system tasked with the automatic deployment of these sirens, the City has the ability to manually activate the appropriate sirens for the affected areas.
  • In all events with the potential for severe weather that is capable of producing tornados, someone is manning the Emergency Operations Center and has the ability to act quickly. Personnel failsafes are also in place. 
• For Chemical Releases: Manually 
  • The siren for a chemical release must be activated manually. Similar to tornado warnings, sirens can be selected to sound only in a specific area (depending on the nature of the incident).

Second is the three-minute "wavering" tone - similar to the "wailing" sound made by many police and fire vehicles on emergency missions. That tone is used only to warn of nuclear attacks.

Listen: Nuclear Attack

How is it triggered? Manually. The Nuclear Attack siren must be manually activated. 

Third is the three-minute "high-low" tone - like that used by many European ambulances and police vehicles and occasionally by emergency vehicles in this country. It warns of catastrophic impending flooding.

This tone is unique to Tulsa, which is a flood warning tone that is not a part of the federal guidelines for siren warning systems. 

Upon hearing either the "steady" or "wavering" sirens, citizens should seek shelter and tune in to local broadcast outlets for additional information.

Upon hearing the high-low flood warning, citizens should avoid low-lying areas or any areas where flooding is likely to occur, and access local media for further information. When flood warnings are in effect, motorists should drive with caution and avoid driving in areas where water obscures road boundaries. They should also avoid driving through water that is flowing across roads.

Listen: Flood Siren

How is it triggered? Manually. 

When is it used, and when is it not used?
This siren is generally not used that often, and must involve an extreme event. 

• Times when it could be used include:
  • Excessive releases from Keystone Dam (100,000 cfs+);
  • Dam breaches (Keystone dam, or one of the City's reservoirs);
  • Levee breaches; and 
  • During times where lives, homes and businesses could be at an extreme and immediate threat 
• Times when it's generally not used include:
  • When a temporary flash flood or flood advisory is issued; 
  • Street flash flooding from a thunderstorm occurs; or
  • For waterline breaks 

Testing

Tulsa's warning sirens are audibly tested each Wednesday at noon, weather permitting, as well as being silently tested daily. On occasion, technicians may test individual sirens at random times. Tests are typically one minute in length. Actual warnings are three-minute signals.

Storm Siren Map

GIS Map of the Emergency Sirens in Tulsa County.

Storm Siren Map