Milwaukee County tornado sirens, upgrade to how alerts are sounded
New tornado siren at Zablocki Park Golf Course
MILWAUKEE - Milwaukee County officials said new technology will improve its tornado sirens, providing a major upgrade to how it sounds emergency alerts.
What's next:
When outdoor warning sirens are activated, every siren in Milwaukee County goes off at once, signaling potential no matter where the emergency is happening.
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"If the warning is in Franklin, and in Bayside it's blue skies and sunny day and they hear tornado sirens, they're going to get used to that, you know, hearing them and nothing happens," said Paul Riegel, who oversees the county's emergency management division.
That's expected to change, which may be beneficial after a slew of severe weather slammed the region earlier this month. Milwaukee County is in the middle of a major capital improvement project that includes installing next-generation alert software.
"We're in the process of replacing our entire tornado siren system with a new system that will give us capabilities to make more decisions of, you know, localizing a warning when we sound our sirens," Riegel said.
Riegel said the project costs roughly $2.2 million and will replace 58 tornado sirens throughout Milwaukee County. Ten sirens have been replaced, including at Zablocki Park Golf Course.
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What's next:
The installation project is expected to be completed this year. However, Riegel said his office is still working to determine the protocol for actually isolating the sirens.
"It'll allow us to make sure our citizens don't, you know, hear the sirens so frequently that it becomes a background noise to them," he said.
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The Isobar | Record tornadoes in WI, IL
It has been one of the most volatile starts to April in Midwest history. Join Chief Meteorologists Rob Haswell (Milwaukee) and Emily Wahls (Chicago), alongside Stephanie Mead (Detroit), for an emergency-level recap of the record-breaking severe weather across the Great Lakes. In this episode, the team breaks down the staggering statistics: Illinois leading the nation with over 80 tornadoes, Wisconsin surpassing its monthly warning records in just two weeks, and Michigan facing critical flooding near the Sheboygan and Croton dams. We discuss the dangers of overnight tornadoes in Ann Arbor and Allen Park, the EF2 and EF3 damage in the Milwaukee suburbs, and the tragic reality of lightning strikes. Beyond the storms, we address "Warning Fatigue" and how to stay prepared when the sirens won't stop. Plus, we celebrate some big personal news for Emily and look ahead to the beautiful "Flower Day" traditions in Detroit and the butterfly tulips of Chicago.
The Source: FOX6 News interviewed Riegel and went to the Zablocki Park Golf Course.