MT. VERNON - Thunderstorm and tornado warning sirens should always be taken seriously, said Kevin Sargent, Mt. Vernon Fire Department assistant chief.
"If you hear the siren, unless it's on the first Tuesday of the month, please take them seriously," Sargent said. "At any moment, anything can change, as the people in Harrisburg and more recently in Opdyke have learned."
Sargent said springtime weather in Southern Illinois is always volatile, as warm and cold airflows collide with violent results, but added the severe weather has kicked off early.
"This bad weather all started so early, it's got everyone on heightened alert," he said. "Everybody's on edge a little bit."
He said though the National Weather Service is running a pilot program in some areas with different language for tornado warnings, the sirens here in Mt. Vernon have not changed.
A severe thunderstorm warning is issued by the National Weather Service when radar or a trained storm spotter indicate a thunderstorm producing hail one inch or larger in diameter, and/or winds exceeding 58 miles per hour, information from the National Weather Service website states.
"Severe thunderstorms can produce tornadoes with little or no advance warning," information states. "(Warnings) are usually issued for a duration of one hour."
If a severe thunderstorm warning is issued for Jefferson County, the sirens are activated for five minutes on a high-low frequency, Sargent said.
"It kind of sounds like the siren on a fire truck," he explained.
A tornado warning, similarly, is issued by the NWS when a tornado is indicated by radar or sighted by spotters. They are usually issued for a duration of around 30 minutes. A tornado warning will include where the tornado was located and what towns will be in its path, information states.
"If we get a tornado warning, then at that point, we activate the siren for the entire length of warning at constant wail mode," Sargent said. "There's no change in the tone with a tornado warning."
He said he hopes people understand that as technology advances, the sirens will be able to give people more ample time to take cover.
"Some people complain about the sirens," he said. "But at any time, a tornado can develop." - http://goo.gl/bLdh7
