Nebraska and Iowa residents can expect to hear that all-too-familiar warning as state-wide tornado siren tests are conducted Wednesday morning.
The tests are a part of Severe Weather Awareness Week in which emergency managers encourage residents to practice safety precautions in the event of severe weather.
The drill will begin at 10:00 when a mock tornado watch is issued, the watch will then turn into a mock warning, which will trigger the sirens around 10:15. The National Weather Service will use the actual Tornado EAS code as if it was a real Tornado Warning. The FCC has granted Nebraska and Iowa a waiver to use the live TOR codes. There will be test wording throughout the text of the warning as to alert residents that it is a drill, and not an active warning.
The test will not activate the Wireless Emergency Alert messaging system on cell phones.