Jessica Mathews / news@whmi.com


Livingston County has reviewed and updated its severe weather siren activation policy following recent weather events and public response.


The new policy is as follows:

“Outdoor Warning Sirens are activated in Livingston County for the following Weather events ONLY:

1. Severe Thunderstorm Warning (NWS) WITH 75 MPH sustained winds or higher (Livingston County)

2. Tornado Warning (NWS)

3. Observed funnel cloud and/or rotation (Reported by trained spotter)

When a warning is issued that meets the above criteria, a single three (3) minute activation shall be initiated by the dispatch center.

The testing of the sirens will continue to be the first Saturday of the month April through October at Noon. Those tests will last for 3 minutes”.



Emergency Management Director Therese Cremonte told WHMI the purpose of the outdoor warning sirens is to warn people who are outside that dangerous weather is coming and they should seek shelter, generally inside, but somewhere they can be safe.

Cremonte said in 2023 when a bad storm tore across the entire county from the northwest, sweeping down through the southeast, people were upset the sirens were not sounded quick enough or that they were sounded but not heard. Thus, policy was reviewed. Cremonte says the change was made to sound the sirens for the duration of the dangerous warning, or until the high winds – at that time 70mph – had subsided. She said, obviously it did not go well this year when that was enacted.

Cremonte said not only have we had repetitive severe weather but it has been for long durations – so sounding the sirens for the length of the warning or until the winds subsided was really not helpful in the way they hoped it would be.

Cremonte said they heard “loud and clear” the response from citizenry that they did not care for that warning system, and they “took that to heart”.

Cremonte stressed that warning systems are important because they want people to pay attention and know that it’s time to take shelter. She said they’ve reviewed the policy, looked at some best practices nationally, and changed it to be a little more - they hope – user-friendly. The 75mph for sustained winds is when they become dangerous enough to start causing heavy damage.

If sirens are sounding, then people should know to take cover and seek shelter. If they stop after three minutes, Cremonte said it does not necessarily mean the warning is over. She said it means they should stay “weather aware”, pay attention to surroundings, seek shelter, turn on weather radios, and pay attention to weather apps or whatever is at their disposal.

Cremonte noted we’ve had an especially active year for severe weather that really started earlier in March and has continued. While no one knows what the summer will bring; she said in the past for some reason the last week in August has historically since 2022 brought some really wild weather. During that time, for consecutive years, she said the area has had some of the worst weather.

Cremonte said she thinks it’s important for people to understand that they “do not love sounding those sirens” - they just want people to be aware so they can to take needed precautions to keep themselves and families safe. She said they don’t want to upset people and they don’t want people to be on edge – they just want them to know what to do and be safe.

Cremonte said they’re hoping the way the system has been readjusted again will trigger people to think about taking shelter and pay attention to what’s going on. She said the sirens will sound one time for three minutes, and then if there’s another danger in the county, they’ll be sounded again for three minutes.

Cremonte says they advise people to simply pay attention to the weather but also have redundant systems for warnings. She said outdoor warning sirens are to warn people to go inside. At night when storms can be more dangerous because people are sleeping or don’t necessarily see them coming, the sirens can sometimes be heard indoors. Cremonte said that’s helpful for older residents who might not have cell phones and apps. She said they highly recommend weather radios with battery backup, and any free weather apps for cell phones. If someone does have older people in their life or others who might not be technology savvy, Cremonte suggests helping them set something up or have a means of contacting them if a warning is issued to make sure they’re safe and aware of any severe weather coming.

Severe weather siren activation is a 911 Central Dispatch policy that undergoes review by Emergency Management, fire chiefs, and other responders.