PSWAS Test Today

The City maintains a system of outdoor warning sirens known as the Parks Severe Weather Alert System (PSWAS). The system includes four outdoor warning sirens strategically located in the City's largest and most widely-used regional parks:

• Elizabeth Milburn Park
• Veterans Memorial Park
• Brushy Creek Sports Park
• Lakeline Park

The Parks Severe Weather Alert System (PSWAS) is automatically triggered by the National Weather Service when a Tornado Warning is issued within the City. As a redundancy, emergency personnel have the ability to manually activate them if there is a confirmed tornado sighting or if a severe weather threat is imminent. The sirens perform a silent self-test daily and an audible test quarterly. Audible testing will utilize a chime tone or a test voice message. If you hear the siren tone activate, leave the area and seek shelter immediately.

Sign Up for Warnings

Do not rely on the PSWAS as your primary source of severe weather information or for warnings! The sirens are not designed to be heard indoors and, therefore, should not be used as a primary means of notification outside of these parks. It can be especially difficult to hear them during times of heavy wind, rain and hail. This is why it is important to have multiple ways of getting weather warnings including weather apps and NOAA Weather Radio. We encourage everyone to sign up to receive emergency alerts via home phone calls, mobile phone calls, text messages and email through our notification system, Warn Central Texas.