How Tornado Sirens In Southwest Oklahoma Create Confusion

If the Southwest Oklahoma sirens blaring at 5 AM woke you up confused, you're not alone. I think they're pretty universally known as "tornado sirens," but they don't always wail due to twisters. Sometimes it's just high winds.

Case and point, the last three times the sirens have sounded off in Lawton, it was due to straight-line winds. Destructive, yes, but arguably not as dangerous or deadly as naders. Still, if you're asleep or not paying attention, the sudden panic can set in, having you think the worst.

Should Oklahoma have different sirens for high winds and tornadoes?

The biggest hurdle for something like this might be how Oklahoma sirens work.

While some of those in the biggest cities are digital, an overwhelming majority of Sooner State sirens are old-school analog. They make the wailing sound mechanically within the siren.

I'm not sure if a power failure has ever kept a digital siren from blaring, but that would likely be the biggest argument to keep this reliably old analog technology. So the only option would be to add a second, different siren at every location across the state to make this possible.

Or just upgrade everything to digital... but that comes with a heavy cost. Since it'd be the government paying for all of it, it'd likely be 10x the normal pricetag.

The question remains: would it make sense to have different sirens for different events?

The Ten Most Tornado-Prone Counties in America

When it comes to the topic of tornadoes, Oklahoma is universally known around the world for producing some of the biggest, including the last F6 ever measured... but it'd probably surprise most Okies that the Sooner State doesn't even crack the top five of the most tornado-prone counties in America.

Gallery Credit: Kelso

Odd and Unbelievable Tornado Facts

As far as we've come in the technology surrounding severe weather and tornadoes, there's still a massive amount science still doesn't understand. Yes, there is a generally agreed idea of how they begin, the conditions needed, and the usual atmospheric conditions, but twisters are still wildly unpredictable. Even more fascinating are the strange and almost terrifying facts about these powerful displays of nature.

Gallery Credit: Kelso