INDIANAPOLIS -- Tornado sirens sounded in Indianapolis around 8:20 a.m. Friday morning after police officers reported seeing funnel clouds in downtown Indianapolis and near the State Fairgrounds, but the sirens went off without any official notice from the National Weather Service of an imminent threat.
The Marion County Emergency Operations Center received reports around 8:34 a.m. of a shelf cloud moving through the county.
MUST SEE: Watch the shelf cloud & thunderstorm roll through Marion Co. this morning. @rtv6 @Ginger_Zee @GMA pic.twitter.com/2SUbLXKWJy
— Todd Klaassen (@ToddKlaassen) August 26, 2016
There was also a report from IMPD officers of a funnel cloud with rotation near the area of 38th Street and Industrial Boulevard, a second report near the State Fairgrounds and Keystone Avenue, and a third report of a funnel cloud spotted near the Washington Street and Mitthoefer Road area.
Those reports were why officials in Marion County chose to sound the sirens, which follows Marion County Siren Protocol.
Criteria for sounding the sirens 1)Tornado Warning Issued 2) Funnel Cloud or Tornado spotted by Police, Fire, EMS 3) Reports Imminent Danger
— DHS Indianapolis (@DHSIndianapolis) August 26, 2016
Here is our Siren Protocol https://t.co/qcZAJA0iOv -In short, when we sound the sirens it means that something life-threatening is happening
— DHS Indianapolis (@DHSIndianapolis) August 26, 2016
Marion County has 168 outdoor warning sirens, and they could be heard Friday on the west side of the city to the Broad Ripple area and the east side. The primary purpose of the sirens is to alert citizens who are outside to take shelter immediately. It is also a cue for residents who are within earshot to seek further information about the storm through such services as the RTV6 app and on RTV6 broadcasts. The sirens go off in three-minute increments.
Prior to the sirens, the National Weather Service did issue a special weather statement that read:
Clouds associated with the outflow of strong thunderstorms will be moving through the area over the next hours. These turbulent... low hanging clouds often times can appear to be similar to funnel clouds. However... these are not funnels. These are merely turbulent cloud fragments that... while appearing ominous... are not actually rotating... and do not pose a danger to those on the ground.
The key to identifying a funnel cloud is organized and persistent rotation about a vertical axis. While these turbulent cloud fragments may appear to rotate.. this may be a result of the chaotic motions along this boundary. Be sure to watch for any persistent and organized rotation... to identify whether or not you are viewing a funnel cloud.
Shortly after the sirens sounded, a Severe Thunderstorm Warning was issued for Marion, Hamilton and Hancock counties around 9 a.m. followed quickly by a Tornado Warning that covered the eastern portions of Marion County, Hancock and Shelby counties until 9:15 a.m.
No confirmed tornado was seen or reported to have touched down, but gusty winds are likely the culprit of some significant damage, specifically in the Broad Ripple area.
READ MORE | Broad Ripple takes brunt of damage
