Jessica Mathews / news@whmi.com


Oakland County will conduct its first siren test of the severe weather season this weekend.

The Oakland County outdoor warning siren system will activate at 1pm Saturday. The system has 275 outdoor warning sirens throughout the county, each capable of covering about a one-mile radius. Testing takes place the first Saturday of the month through November.

Livingston County will start testing sirens in April. The first test will be Saturday, April 5th - and then the first Saturday each month after that through October. A countywide Tornado Drill is set for March 19th at 1pm and weather-dependent, the county may sound the sirens during that drill.

In a real emergency, the siren indicates a tornado has been sighted or strongly indicated on radar or a severe thunderstorm with sustained winds of 70 mph or greater is in the area. Residents would be given instructions to seek shelter immediately and listen to the radio or television for more information.

The sirens are designed to alert individuals who are outside. For indoor warnings, residents are advised to obtain the FEMA mobile app or purchase a weather radio, which provides notifications of incoming severe weather.