Computer glitch may have caused tornado sirens to falsely alarm on Tuesday in Jonesboro

Residents in Jonesboro got to hear a common and alarming sound on Tuesday (July 14) when the system of sirens sounded the possibly of twisters in the area. There was only one problem – the city wasn’t under any tornado warnings.

Technicians are investigating the accidental activation of the outdoor warning siren system that occurred on Tuesday, according to city officials in Jonesboro.

Early diagnosis indicates possible cause could be a faulty logic board or faulty repeater that operates “Siren 2003”. Modern early warning systems are highly computerized, and testing requires multiple layers of code work. No codes indicate an intentional testing activation.

Both the subject repeater and logic board have been replaced. The tone was a nonstandard sound and will not be the new early warning sound that residents can expect to hear in the future for tornado emergencies, officials said.

“Technicians will be conducting additional installation and testing today and tomorrow to ensure the problem is resolved,” the city stated. “While not expected, it is possible that sirens will sound off during this process. In that event, residents should not be alarmed.”