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Outdoor Warning System
Sirens are designed to warn people outdoors of impending severe weather or other hazards. As of November 2025, the City of Whitewater is now a part of a Walworth County integrated storm siren system. CommanderOne links the siren system directly to the National Weather Service warnings for activation and allows for monitoring the readiness of the sirens.
Siren Activation
The activation of the warning sirens alerts the public to seek shelter and to turn on radio or television broadcasts for further information. The warning sirens may also be used for other emergencies, including chemical spills or toxic hazards, which may require residents to take action. Information pertaining to these activation's will be made available through radio and television announcements to inform you as the actions to be taken. "All clear" announcements will be made over the television or radio, and not by means of the warning sirens.
Whitewater uses sirens as an effective means of warning people outdoors of rapidly approaching dangerous weather. When the National Weather Service issues a Tornado Warning or a Severe Thunderstorm Warning with Hurricane Force (80+ MPH) Winds, the CommanderOne system is set to automatically activate sirens within the warning polygon.
No Severe Weather
Although there is always the potential that a warning may sound and the severe weather may not actually affect Whitewater, it is determined to be better to give the warning and allow residents to seek further information from the radio and television broadcasts than to delay the warning and possibly not have residents advised in a timely manner.
Questions
Should you have any questions relating to severe weather and siren activation, please feel free to contact the Office of Emergency Management at 262-473- 0570.
Locations
- City Hall 312 W Whitewater Street
- W Walworth Avenue at Buckingham Boulevard
- 600 block of S Janesville Street
- N Tratt Street between Bloomingfield Drive and Peninsula Lane
- W Florence Street at N Tratt Street
- E Milwaukee Street behind Schenck Accurate
- Bluff Road near Bluff Ridge Drive
- Burr Oak Trail in the Prairie Village Subdivision
- Trippe Lake Park at the top of Coburn Hill
In accordance with statewide policy, Whitewater tests its outdoor warning sirens the third Wednesday of every month at noon. The test sequence will last approximately three to four minutes and should be heard throughout the city. Although we realize that the tests may cause some inconvenience for certain residents, it is in the best interest of the public's safety to test the reliability of our system regularly.