FOND DU LAC COUNTY — When severe storms rolled through Fond du Lac County overnight, outdoor warning sirens failed to activate after the National Weather Service issued tornado warnings in that area, officials say.
Fond du Lac County Director of Administration, Erin E. Gerred, said Thursday county emergency management officials are aware of the failure of the sirens to activate and are "actively working with the vendor to resolve the issue."
"The safety of all Fond du Lac County residents is vitally important especially during severe weather," said Gerred.
So far, the NWS has not reported tornado landings in that county. The service did confirm tornadoes in Jefferson County near Concord; near Wales and Waukesha in Waukesha County; near Watertown in Dodge and Jefferson counties; and near Dousman in Waukesha County.
The NWS activated tornado warnings across south and central Wisconsin overnight as the severe storm pushed across the state. Thousands of customers went without power after strong winds knocked out power infrastructure.
The NWS also issued over a dozen severe thunderstorm warnings overnight.
Outdoor warning sirens are designed to alert residents when they are outdoors; the sirens can be hard to hear when residents are sheltered indoors.
