The city of Wichita Falls now has a new plan in place for when the outdoor warning sirens go off in town. Here is what you need to know.

Wichita Falls has been working with twenty local stakeholders on the outdoor warning system. The city and these stakeholders have come to an agreement going forward of when to activate the warning system in Wichita Falls. We're used to the siren meaning a tornado is touching down somewhere in the Wichita Falls area. Here's what the sirens will do going forward.

New Rules for Outdoor Warning System in Wichita Falls

• The National Weather Service issues a Tornado Warning for all, or part of the City of Wichita Falls.
• A tornado or funnel cloud is observed by trained storm spotters forming in, or approaching, the city limits.
• A Severe Thunderstorm Warning issued by the National Weather Service includes a “Destructive”wind tag of 80 miles per hour or higher.
• All 53 sirens will activate when a warning is issued, even if only a portion of the City is affected.

Wichita Falls Citizens Are Encouraged to Have the Following

When the tornado sirens go off, you should go to one of the following to figure out what the siren is being used for.

• NOAA Weather Radio
• Wireless Emergency Alerts (Cell Phones)
• Television and radio broadcasts
• Official City of Wichita Falls social media and notifications
• CodeRED

All of those above should be pretty self explanatory, with the exception of CodeRED. Basically as soon as the National Weather Service sends out an alert, CodeRED can also notify you with a text, email, or call. If you would like to sign up for those alerts. You can do so here.

You can read the city's full statement on the new warning system put in place here.