As Illinois enters its busiest tornado month of the year, suburban DuPage County is making a big change to its tornado siren system.
According to a press release issued this week, the DuPage Public Safety Communications unit is launching an automated tornado siren system effective Thursday.
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WATCH HEREOfficials say the sirens will be automatically activated when the National Weather Service issues a tornado warning, with the sirens geographically targeted to sound in areas impacted by warnings.
“The transition to automation enhances DU-COMM’s mission of providing efficient and timely emergency communications,” said Executive Director Jessica Robb in a statement. “By leveraging the Fulton system, we are strengthening our severe weather response and giving our communities the fastest possible warning when every second counts.”
According to the release, officials say alerts will come faster and more accurately, and system reliability will be a paramount focus as the transition is made.
Officials do caution that tornado sirens are not always meant to be heard indoors, with residents urged to have other tools to receive weather warnings, including battery-powered radios and smartphones.
According to Illinois’ State Climatologist, May is typically the most active month of the year when it comes to tornadoes, with 643 reported in that month between 1950 and 2020.
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A majority of the state’s tornadoes occur between April and June, but officials always caution that twisters can occur outside of those months.
In all, Illinois reported 142 tornadoes in 2024, breaking a state record that had stood for nearly 20 years. Nearly 1,800 tornadoes touched down across the United States, the second-most in recorded history according to the National Weather Service.
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