Peotone Weather


Peotone's Outdoor Warning Sirens


This page is to inform the residents of Peotone as to what criteria and decisions are used to activate the outdoor warning siren.

The Village of Peotone has outdoor warning Sirens that can be activated to warn the residents of Peotone about Dangerous Weather Conditions and Local or National Emergencies.

Who can turn on the Outdoor Warning Sirens?

The Outdoor Warning Siren can be sounded by Police Officers here in Peotone, or they can be sounded by the Laraway Communication Center.

Who is part of the Laraway Communication Center ?

Laraway Communication Center includes Includes the following towns Peotone, Beecher, University Park, Crete, Steger, South Chicago Heights, Frankfort, Mokena, Manhattan, and New Lenox.

What is the criteria for activating the Outdoor Warning Sirens?

There is a set of guidelines followed by the Peotone Police Department. Here's a link to the Peotone Police Department's procedure Peotone Police Dept.

There is alot of information in those policies. Can you give me the cliff notes version?

Yes! The sirens can be activated for:

Local Emergencies (HAZMAT, Derailment)
National Emergencies (Attack, War)
Severe Weather (Damaging Wind, Tornado)

The most often use of the siren is for Severe weather. Keep in mind that even though there are policies in place for activating the sirens, the Village of Peotone may elect to activate the sirens even if the event does not meet the criteria listed in the policies listed in the link above.

Why have policies if they won't always be followed?

Every situation in daily life can't be thought of or proceduralized. For Example:

A thunderstorm is about to hit Peotone and school is letting out. The storm has a history of 50-55mph wind gusts. This does not meet the National Weather Service deffinition of a Severe Thunderstorm. It also is not enough wind to cause much in the way of structural damage to buildings. However, what do you think a 55mph wind could do to a school bus with our children on it? In this instance the chief of police might want to, (and has in the past) activate the siren to allow the storm to pass, and keep the children in the school and off of the bus.

Can I rely on the Sirens to protect me and my family?

NO! The Sirens should be your last line of defense! The intent of the siren is to get people who are not following the weather or the news, to do so immediately. The best way to protect yourself and your family from Severe weather is to own A NOAA Weather radio that has batteries in case the power goes out. Another option would be to get an emergency weather alert app for your smart phone or other electronic devices.

Finally, can the Sirens go off and nothing happens with the weather here?

Yes! A storm can dissapate before it hits the town, or it could even change course. Larawaway Communication Center can activate the sirens for a storm that is about to hit Beecher but just misses Peotone.

The bottom line is you must protect your family by staying informed. The Sirens are last line of defense to remind us that we need to get weather information or news immediately. You can get a NOAA weather Radio at any department store, or online. They range in price from $25 to $100 dollars. The $25 version is good enough to alert your family of a Severe storm or even a Tornado and save your and your families lives! These radios can be set to turn on automaticaly and sound an alarm when the National Weather Service issues severe weather watches and warnings.


The content of this web page has been approved by the Peotone Police Department