Sirens Will Sound During Severe Weather Awareness Week, April 7-11

Via an April 7 announcement from Hennepin County:

Don’t be alarmed – sirens sound during Severe Weather Awareness Week

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Hennepin County will participate in a statewide tornado drill on Thursday, April 10. As part of the annual Minnesota Severe Weather Awareness Week, April 7-11, 2025, this drill is a crucial reminder for residents to prepare for severe weather. The outdoor warning sirens will sound at 1:45pm for schools and businesses, and at 6:45pm for families. A wireless emergency alert test will take place at 1:45pm.  

Please note, if severe weather is a significant threat on April 10, the drill will be cancelled, and emergency alerts will be sent accordingly. 

Severe Weather Awareness Week serves as an important opportunity to review and update emergency plans for the home, workplace, and schools. Since 1960, nearly two-thirds of federally declared disasters in Hennepin County have been caused by severe weather, including tornadoes. It's vital for everyone to take steps to protect themselves before a storm strikes. 

Learn more from Hennepin County on preparing for severe weather. 

County implements Partial County Alerting to improve severe weather notifications 

Hennepin County is making important changes to how NOAA Weather Radio alerts are delivered to residents. Partial County Alerting is now being implemented, allowing weather radio warnings to be targeted more precisely to areas at risk. This change means that smaller areas directly affected by severe weather will receive alerts, reducing unnecessary warning for those in safer areas. 

Previously, Hennepin County’s weather alerts through NOAA Weather Radio were broadcast to the entire county, even if the threat only impacted a small part of the area. This often led to residents receiving warnings for locations up to 30 miles away from the actual threat.  

Key Benefits of Partial County Alerting

• Weather Radio warnings will be more specific to areas actually at risk, meaning fewer people will receive alerts for weather events that don’t affect them. 

• The change will reduce confusion and help residents stay focused on the threats in their immediate vicinity. 

• It will ensure that residents only receive alerts that matter to them, making it easier to stay safe during severe weather events. 

How It Works

The National Weather Service alerts will now be sent to those within a smaller affected area of designated cities through NOAA Weather Radios. 

Hennepin County has been divided into six alerting areas, each with its own unique Weather Radio “SAME” code, including: 

• Northwest Area (127053): Corcoran, Greenfield, Hanover, Rockford, Rogers 

• Northeast Area (327053): Brooklyn Center, Brooklyn Park, Champlin, Dayton, Maple Grove, Osseo 

• Lake Area (427053): Deephaven, Excelsior, Long Lake, Medina, Mound, Orono, Wayzata 

• Central Area (527053): Crystal, Golden Valley, Hopkins, Medicine Lake, Minnetonka, Plymouth, Robbinsdale, Saint Louis Park 

• Minneapolis Area (627053): Minneapolis, Fort Snelling, MSP International Airport, Richfield, Saint Anthony