MN counties testing tornado sirens Thursday for Severe Weather Awareness Week

MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - Normally, during the spring and summer in Minnesota, we hear tornado siren tests on the first Wednesday of every month.

Don’t be alarmed if you hear them on Thursday. National Weather Service says Minnesota and Wisconsin counties are participating in a statewide tornado drill as part of Severe Weather Awareness Week.

When should we expect the sirens?

What they're saying:

The National Weather Service says sirens across Minnesota and Wisconsin will be tested at  1:45 p.m. and again at 6:45 p.m., noting local sirens and other notification methods may be used. 

Hennepin County officials say they’ll test the outdoor warning sirens at 1:45 p.m. Thursday for schools and businesses. They’ll be tested again at 6:45 p.m. for families. There will also be an alert test sent to your wireless phone at 1:45 p.m.

Could the test be canceled?

What we know:

Hennepin County officials say the test would be canceled only if there’s a threat of significant severe weather on Thursday. The current forecast calls for a high in the low 50s with cloudy skies, and about a 20% chance of precipitation.

The county did perform some siren testing in Minneapolis, Minnetrista, New Hope, and Orono on Tuesday.

Partial County Alerting

Dig deeper:

Hennepin County officials say they’re implementing Partial County Alerting with National Weather Service radios. That will allow weather radio warnings to be more precisely targeted to where storms are hitting. It will reduce unnecessary warnings for residents not near the storms. In the past, residents up to 30 miles away from a storm would get alerts.

What are the areas?

What we know:

The National Weather Service is dividing weather alerts into six different parts of Hennepin County, and each have a code:

• Northwest Area (127053): Corcoran, Greenfield, Hanover, Rockford, Rogers
• Northeast Area (327053): Brooklyn Center, Brooklyn Park, Champlin, Dayton, Maple Grove, Osseo
• Lake Area (427053): Deephaven, Excelsior, Long Lake, Medina, Mound, Orono, Wayzata
• Central Area (527053): Crystal, Golden Valley, Hopkins, Medicine Lake, Minnetonka, Plymouth, Robbinsdale, Saint Louis Park
• Minneapolis Area (627053): Minneapolis, Fort Snelling, MSP International Airport, Richfield, Saint Anthony

Again, April 7-11 marks Severe Weather Awareness Week in Minnesota. Don’t be alarmed if you hear tornado sirens and the skies don’t look threatening. It’s probably a test.