Outdoor warning siren testing Wednesday, March 25

Test is part of the Nebraska statewide tornado drill

March 24, 2026Updated: March 24, 2026
Forrest HershbergerBy Forrest Hershberger

(Press Release)

Region 22 Emergency Management and Scotts Bluff County Consolidated Communications Center will test the outdoor warning sirens in Gering, Scottsbluff, Terrytown, Lyman, McGrew and Harrisburg at 9 a.m. on Wednesday.

This test will only last for approximately one minute and will include the Western Nebraska Regional Airport and Western Sugar. These tests are conducted on the second Wednesday of every month through October. The purpose of these tests is to ensure the sirens are in proper working order in case the time comes that they are needed for a real emergency, such as tornado, damaging straight-line winds or chemical spill.

Emergency Management and 911 want to remind the public that outdoor warning sirens are designed for those persons who may be outdoors during a warning to go indoors and tune in to local news television or radio for further information. They are not designed to be heard indoors.

The public is encouraged to have a weather alert radio for indoor alerting, or to download any of the alerting phone applications available to the public. This would include the Smart 911 App, that partners with the local Panhandle Alert system. To sign up for Panhandle Alert, visit panhandlealert.org.

To sign up for Smart 911, search Smart 911 in the app store for Apple or Android.

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