Fake Tornado Sirens Are Going Off In These South Dakota Towns

This summertime heat has been unbearable for people across the country, including the Sioux Empire. The National Weather Service even extended the Excessive Heat Warning for much of eastern South Dakota including Sioux Falls, now in effect through Thursday evening.

Sometimes with extreme heat and humidity, equipment does not always work properly like tornado sirens. Officers and public officials in some South Dakota towns are alerting the public about the possibility of false tornado sirens going off without there being a tornado threat in the area.

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Towns in Lincoln and Turner Counties like Canton, Lennox, and Marion have been hearing false tornado sirens. Some sirens have gone off as early as 4 AM. Obviously hearing these sirens can cause people to panic. That's why the Lincoln County Sheriff's Office made a Facebook post explaining the situation to residents.

So why are these tornado sirens going off? Blame the heat and humidity. Surprisingly, this can happen!

Please be aware that tornado sirens in several towns in Lincoln County have been going off. The heat and humidity are setting them off. This could continue over the next couple of days until the weather changes. Please reference additional warning devices during this time. The sirens will be left up and functioning in case threatening weather does occur.

When the air gets thick and heavy like it is now, radio waves do not travel like they normally do. This is called a "skip." This heat just makes it harder for sound to work properly.

It's never a bad thing to be "weather aware" in case severe weather comes to the Sioux Empire. Make sure you have other resources like the National Weather Service and our weather partners at Dakota News Now to stay up to date with the latest forecast.

A Survival Guide For Your First Winter in South Dakota

Sioux Falls, South Dakota, and the rest of the Sioux Empire (AKA southeastern South Dakota) are welcoming thousands of new residents every year.

Many of you new folks will be experiencing your first eastern South Dakota winter. While it doesn't usually get as bad as our Dakota friends up north, I speak from experience when I say it can get a little rough.

MORE: What Every South Dakotan Should Be Doing to Prepare for Winter

So, to help ease you into winter in Sioux Falls and South Dakota here are some winter survival tips:

Sioux Fallsian? This is What You Call Someone From These South Dakota Towns

Do you know what a Demonym is? It's what you call the people from a place.

For example, people from South Dakota are called South Dakotans. Your partner who was born in Minnesota was a Minnesotan and your family in Iowa are Iowans. And we are all Americans.

That got me curious about what you would call someone from some of the towns in South Dakota. Are we Sioux Fallsians, Sioux Fallsists, or Sioux Fallsites?

I dug into the research and found a definitive-ish list of the demonyms for Sioux Falls and a few other towns in South Dakota.