Wichita Falls Upgrading Tornado Sirens and Installing New Lightening Detection Alarms

The City of Wichita Falls is warning citizens that you may hear a tornado siren over the next few months while installation is underway.

It was back in August that the Wichita Falls City Council approved $1,834,032 to upgrade our outdoor warning system. Back in July of 2025, a review was done on our 53 sirens throughout Wichita Falls and many of them were needing to be phased out. “I think at this point, after 30 years, for a lot of the system, it was time for replacement,” Wichita Falls Fire Department Chief Cody Melton said.

Wichita Falls Begins Outdoor Siren Testing Replacement

The good news is that all 53 sirens will be replaced. The new system will be mechanical, rather than electrical. “They’re easier to work on. Less parts, less issues. So I think they’re very reliable. Compared to electronic systems, there’s less things that can break on them,” Melton said. The city says siren technicians are working on the new sirens, they may "bump" the activation button on the new sirens to ensure that the mechanical parts of the sirens are operating correctly. You could hear a growl or some horn sound. No need to panic if you do. The project will be worked on over the next 90 days. 

What is a Lightening Detection Alarm?

Looks like the city is also installing a lightening detection alarm in three locations in town. I have never seen one of these before and I found an example of one above. A Perry Weather alarm detects lightning and alerts your team in under 20 seconds. These are used at popular outdoor areas and for Wichita Falls they will be installed at the following areas. The Softball Complex on Sheppard Access Rd; the Multipurpose Events Center; and Champions Course at Weeks Park.

The city says the installation for everything is weather permitting, but if everything goes to plan. It should be operational sometime in mid-January. Obviously living in Wichita Falls, we should have fully functioning tornado sirens. Glad to see we're getting an upgrade.