Tornado sirens were sounded Thursday at about 5 pm in Jefferson, Scranton and Churdan after the National Weather Service issued a tornado warning. Weather spotters were dispatched to their locations around the county. Unofficially, tornadoes were sighted north of Scranton and near H Ave and Highway 3 east of Scranton, but those sightings were not confirmed.
According to Greene County emergency management director Dennis Morlan, current policy states that if a tornado warning is issued by the National Weather Service for a specific community within Greene County, the tornado sirens in that community will be activated.
In Jefferson, the tornado siren does not indicate that a tornado has been spotted heading toward the city. Morlan shared the following information in March during Severe Weather Awareness Week:
“Current city of Jefferson policy for siren activation reads as follows: ‘In the event the Greene County Communications Center receives a tornado warning issued by the National Weather Service identifying that the city of Jefferson is included in the path of a tornado warning zone, the LEC dispatcher shall activate the sirens so that the people of Jefferson can seek appropriate cover. In this case, the National Weather Service has identified certain patterns or criteria with their equipment and while utilizing their advanced training determined that information indicates that the potential for tornadic activity is likely. This siren activation does not necessarily mean that a tornado has been sighted and is headed directly for Jefferson. It does however extend the advanced warning to the people that may not have received that warning otherwise. It is the Jefferson city councils’ intention to make sure that a warning with this potential for devastation is extended to those not otherwise around or near any other means in which they could have received that warning.'”
Upon the activation of the sirens all should seek protective cover immediately. Turn to a local radio or television broadcasting station for further information regarding the emergency creating the warning.
