JEFFERSON COUNTY, Mo. — As Missouri heads into severe weather season, tornado sirens are being installed throughout unincorporated parts of Jefferson County.

While most municipalities have systems in place for severe weather, the new sirens will be a warning service to a large population of the county that did not have it before, according to Warren Robinson, director of Emergency Management for Jefferson County.

“We’re hoping this is going to help us save lives and protect property by getting early warnings out to the public when they need it,” he said.

“Looking at our budget and the number of people that we have out here in unincorporated parts of the county, we felt like now is a good time to move forward with the project.”

Sirens are being installed in areas with dense populations, 2,000 people or more per square mile.

Some areas where sirens are being installed include Kimmswick, High Ridge, down south of De Soto, House Springs and other rural communities.

"Geographically, it’s not going to cover the entire county, but it will cover the majority of it, which is exciting,” Robinson said.

Four out of the 101 new sirens have been installed so far. Recent weather has delayed the project slightly, but Robinson said officials are confident all of them will be up and operational by spring of 2026.

Once enough of the sirens are up, he said workers will be able to bring some of them online and training with Emergency Management staff will start.  

While tornado sirens have been a request by residents for years, this project also has been in the works for several years.

Steps of the project included pinpointing suitable locations, securing property easements and finding funding. Grant funds were used for pinpointing siren locations, Robinson said. Funds from the county’s capital projects budget are being used for the installation.

The initiative was led by the Public Safety Commission with help from the Jefferson County EMA and fire chief Mick Fischer.

Robinson said having one system to rely on for severe weather is not enough. He mentioned residents should have multiple ways to receive severe weather warnings, such as EverBridge alerts and/or a weather radio.