If You Hear Tornado Sirens on a Clear Day This Month, Don't Worry

If you hear Birmingham's tornado sirens for short 30-second bursts, don't worry, the city is just performing a bit of maintenance work.

Beginning Monday, the city announced that Oakland County would be performing routine maintenance work on Birmingham's outdoor warning sirens throughout September.

Once the work is completed, each siren will be tested for approximately 30 seconds to ensure it's in proper working order. Residents will hear the normal siren sound, but only for a short burst.

According to a note on the city's website, this should not be confused with an actual activation Birmingham's outdoor warning sirens, which last three minutes and have a steady tone. According to the Oakland County Homeland Security Divison, this means a tornado warning is in effect or there is a severe thunderstorm with damaging winds in excess of 70 miles per hour in the area.

If the three-minute siren is heard, residents should seek shelter immediately and listen to a radio or televsion for more information.

The city's outdoor warning sirens are typically tested on the first Saturday each month (with the exception of December-February), consisting of the three-minute siren tone.