News · Grand Rapids
Grand Rapids will test outdoor warning sirens year-round starting Friday, Nov. 6, after a geofencing upgrade
GRAND RAPIDS — Starting Friday, Nov. 6, Grand Rapids will test its outdoor warning sirens at noon on the first Friday of every month, year-round, the city said in a Nov. 2 release.
That replaces the city’s old April-through-October testing schedule. Kent County is making the same change on the same date, according to the Kent County Sheriff’s Office.
What you’ll hear
Tests and real activations both sound a steady, high-pitched tone for about three minutes, the city said. The sirens are meant for people who are outdoors. Once inside, residents should check a weather app, city or Office of Emergency Management social media, television or radio for details.
If severe weather is already happening or expected, the monthly test may be postponed so it is not mistaken for a real warning, the city and county both said.
What changed in the system
Grand Rapids operates 27 outdoor warning sirens. The upgraded system uses geofencing that can activate sirens within about one mile of a threat area identified by the National Weather Service, Emergency Management Administrator Benjamin Rance said in the city’s release. The goal is to warn the neighborhoods most at risk and cut down on activations far from a storm.
“This upgrade gives us a more accurate and dependable system,” Rance said. “As a warning moves or changes, the system can adjust which sirens are activated.”
Siren activations are managed by the Grand Rapids Emergency Communications Center. The city and Kent County have redundancy so each can activate the other’s sirens if needed, and multiple transmitters back up the city’s network.
What to do next
Outdoor sirens are not designed to be heard indoors. The city urges residents to sign up for Grand Rapids Emergency Alerts at https://www.grandrapidsmi.gov/departments/emergency-management/register-for-grand-rapids-emergency-alerts/ and to treat any unscheduled siren as a cue to get inside and seek more information. There is no separate “all-clear” tone; people should wait for official sources to say a threat has passed.
Sources:
City of Grand Rapids, “City upgrades Outdoor Warning Siren System and begins year-round testing,” Nov. 2, 2026, https://www.grandrapidsmi.gov/city-news/posts/city-upgrades-outdoor-warning-siren-system-and-begins-year-round-testing/
City of Grand Rapids, Outdoor Warning Sirens (27 sirens, first-Friday noon tests, geofencing, no all-clear), https://www.grandrapidsmi.gov/departments/emergency-management/outdoor-warning-sirens/
WWMT, “Kent County to begin year-round monthly outdoor warning siren tests Nov. 6,” Nov. 2026 (county schedule and Sheriff’s Office release), https://wwmt.com/news/local/kent-county-to-begin-year-round-monthly-outdoor-warning-siren-tests-nov-6-sheriff-grand-rapidsd-emergency-management
Photo: Corey Coyle, “Madison Civil Defense Siren - panoramio.jpg,” Aug. 17, 2013, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/), cropped and resized, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Madison_Civil_Defense_Siren_-_panoramio.jpg
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