Manitowoc, WI--
When you hear sirens in Brown County it means one thing and one thing only. " A tornado warning or an actual tornado sighting will prompt the immediate alert of the outdoor warning sirens county wide” says Justin Stienbrinck, Brown County Emergency Management.
But that's not the case for the city of Manitowac. "City of Manitowoc does choose to do it for the higher speeds, winds that are being forecast, straight line winds, that sort of thing" says Nancy Crowley, Manitowoc County Emergencies Services Director.
According to Manitowoc's Emergency Services director the sirens are usually just for tornadoes but in their case -- to warn people about other severe weather.
Outagamie county does this as well and there's a reason why they do this. Ever since the 2000 tornado that paralyzed the community of St. Nazianz, residents don't ever want to be caught off guard when it comes to severe weather.“There's been a little fear that lets be a little ahead of the curve” says Crowley
Although the director says it might be confusing for some residents... At the end of the day every county, city, or town will sound the alarms to fit their communities’ needs.Outdoor sirens should never be a primary source for receiving severe weather alerts.
Both directors we spoke with recommended having a NOAA radio or a weather app to get the latest weather conditions.
