Was that the siren?

[Nurian]

Anyone who has ever read/watched The Wizard of Oz knows that "Kansas has twisters!" Ever since Greensburg was hit, the local National Weather Service station has been jumpy.

So last Saturday, we got our first Tornado Warning of the season, complete with sirens. I wasn't at work then, so my wife and I had to put two angry, scared cats into the same carrier (my mother in law has our other one) and get to the shelter (we live in a trailer. No, I'm not trash, thank you :P). Tornado lands out of town and everything is fine.

I go to work yesterday and of course, it's raining. Everyone is looking nervously outside and the sups are watching weather.com for news. I had a guy next to me who was new to Kansas and had never heard the sirens before Saturday. He kept hearing things over the rain and incessantly asked me:

CW: Was that the siren?
Me: No, sounded like a car horn.

(a little later)

CW: Is that the siren?
Me: (to caller) One moment, Sir. (to CW) No, that's the maintenance guy vacuuming.

(a little later)

CW: Was that the siren?
Me: No. You know, it's very easy to tell if it's the siren or not.
CW: How?
Me: If I run for the Women's Restroom, it was the siren.

[Sheldonrs]

...Me: No. You know, it's very easy to tell if it's the siren or not.
CW: How?
Me: If I run for the Women's Restroom, it was the siren.

Or you had a giant slurpee with lunch.

[Trayol]

Where has this guy lived as to have never heard a tornado siren before?

[jjllbb]

Where has this guy lived as to have never heard a tornado siren before?

Maybe up north with me? I don't think i've heard one either...

[draftermatt]

Maybe up north with me? I don't think i've heard one either...

Or on the east coast with me.

We have a siren that the Fire Department uses to signal all the volunteers in the area (so many "Woo" sounds are different codes) It's out of practice in the County Seat, but in my small town they still use it.

I've heard it go off just once during storms but we've never known if that was the "OH shit take cover" or "Oh shit lighting hit a house that's now on fire" siren.

Tornadoes are very rare in MD.

[Stormraven]

Heh. I grew up there, and only rarely paid attention to the sirens. Just like now, out in CA, I barely pay attention to minor earthquakes.

But I do have to wonder. Tornado sirens are like nothing else - at least, they were back when. If it had gone off, he wouldn't have had to ask.

[Nurian]

Guy lived in California before here. He is attending the University. He swears he's never heard one and it freaked him out. He's also not very high on the Hilton-Hawkings Scale in terms of intelligence.

I find it funny no one commented that I'd be running to the Women's restroom.

[bainsidhe]

I'm from Nebraska originally and the tornado sirens there couldn't be heard unless the wind was juuuuust right. You could be a house away and not hear the siren. Which is why you watch the news or read online.

[Food Lady]

I find it funny no one commented that I'd be running to the Women's restroom.

Actually, I LOL at that.

I'm a transplant from California to Wisconsin, and the first time I heard the siren, it freaked me--sounded like bomb-scare sirens from old Twilight Zone episodes. I would be asking, too!

Funny--the other day I was dreaming there was a tornado around me and then the siren woke me up (they were testing). I got up and 10 minutes later & heard an ambulance. I thought, "Is the world ending and no one told me?"

[Soulstealer]

When I first moved to the midwest I learned an important lesson. Your tornado warning siren sounds exactly like our missile warning siren.

This is on the list of things I didn't want to ever know.

[Hobbs]

Live next to Lackland AFB and heard their siren go off a couple of times...think it sounded today, even...hmm

[wolfie]

I find it funny no one commented that I'd be running to the Women's restroom.

Probably because the Women's restroom is the designated tornado shelter (similar to one of our regular inbound shippers, except with them it's the men's restroom).

[Naaman]

Probably because the Women's restroom is the designated tornado shelter (similar to one of our regular inbound shippers, except with them it's the men's restroom).

I just assumed it would be a 'brown alert' moment

[blas]

Nope sorry, northerners know what those sirens sound like, too. Well, if by north, you mean like Wisconsin/Minnesota/Iowa/Illinois/Michigan

I live in apartment that has a basement (laundry facilities/storage units) but it would have to be to the point where a funnel cloud was actually spotted and the local news said it's touched down before I'll go down in there. Our neighborhood nut, Sheriff, thinks he's a pro meteorologist and storm chaser, and he's known for running around the apartments during storms (even storms with no potential danger threat) screaming at everyone to go in the basement, it's the BIG ONE, and I'd almost venture to say I'd rather take a chance and hide in my bathtub than be in a basement with him.

[Becks]

Try living in small towns where the tornado siren also goes off at noon during the week.

Fun times.