Watch: strange tornado sirens in downtown Chicago

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Originally published at: Watch: strange tornado sirens in downtown Chicago | Boing Boing

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Climate change means a world where tornadoes rip through skyscrapers. Dense urban areas traditionally have heat islands that disrupt them, hence the old joke that they only hit trailer parks (and traditionally do only hit small towns). Climate change means equal opportunity tornadoes for all. Parts of the world that never had them at all are also starting to see them.

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I didn’t see a single siren in either video.

Also, I’m fairly sure this is a re-boing.

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It’s siren head looking for people to eat

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I’m like 99% sure I posted this video in the last year. I’ve been boinged?

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Anyway - this is a siren:

[…]
While the Chrysler-Bell siren achieved its acoustic goals, its other specs were not quite as advanced: The first production models were manually controlled. A seat was provided, requiring a single brave soul to climb aboard, Slim Pickens-style, rotating until the nuclear flash relieved both man and machine of duty.
[…]

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Needs more cowbell

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(cued)

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In my small town there was a siren that would sound for the volunteer fire department and they would test it every Saturday at noon and monthly for the town council meetings.In 1960 they changed it to a classic air raid siren (I had just seen the Morlocks summoning the Eloi in the Time Machine) but nobody told 12 year old me and they first time they tested it I didn’t know if I should duck and cover from the incoming Russian missiles or hide from the zombies. My first Freak Out. . .

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Chicago idea of “value added service”.

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Kansas/Missouri just use the good ol’ air raid type siren. Causes dogs to howl ever first Tuesday or Wednesday of the month at 11 or noon (cant remember the exact time.)

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Sedgwick County (Wichita and surrounding environs) tests every Monday at noon, except holidays. You can set your watch by it.

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Yep, that’s it! Maybe it is the first Monday up here too… I just know when I hear it I am like, “Oh, it’s that time again.”

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Where I am in illinois it is 10am on the first Tuesday of the month.

I think that video is around 10 years old.

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I can call my mom in a couple days to confirm if it matters that much.

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I looked it up. Its from June 2010 when a derecho came through.

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NVM, thought you meant the video I posted for @Mister44 .

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My fault. I wasn’t following the flow of conversation

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Same in Topeka (and I think Olathe and Paola?)

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They stole that siren sound from the sound-effects from The Forbidden Planet, surely? :wink:

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