Ships get christened with a bottle of champagne, but Sedona’s Uptown Siren System had its christening as an emergency warning system around 9:35 a.m. on Thursday, Oct. 22, to broadcast a tornado warning and to shelter in place, which was lifted at 10:06 a.m.
The National Weather Service issued a Tornado Warning at 9:33 a.m. in effect until 10 a.m. on X, formerly known as Twitter, reporting quarter-size hail possible for an area that included Red Rock State Park, Crescent Moon Ranch, House Mountain Trail Lookout, Baldwin Crossing, Chimney Rock, and Doe Mountain and Bear Mountain Trailheads.
At 10:21 a.m., Oct. 22, the city posted that a tornado watch remained in effect until 8 p.m.
Local creeks and low-lying road crossing were monitored over the weekend as well according to city spokeswoman Julie Graham. SPD dispatched officers to West Sedona School and Sedona Red Rock High School during the tornado warning and shelter in place timeframe, she wrote.
The previous day, Oct. 21, a tornado touched down around Spruce Mountain southeast of Prescott and another through Heber-Overgaard.
Schools
The Sedona-Oak Creek Unified School District sent a mass message to parents at 9:50 a.m. that stated “Hello, SOCSD families: Due to a severe weather warning from the National Weather Service, all district schools are currently in a shelter-in-place emergency response status specific to tornado conditions. We are monitoring weather alert systems continuously to determine when status changes are necessary and safe. Thank you for supporting student and staff safety.”
Though there was one minor point of confusion on the terminology according to WSS Principal Alisa Stieg.
“Even though we got everybody notified, the shelter-in-place terminology created a little bit of confusion with one classroom, and they stayed in their classroom instead of transitioning into the hallways because they heard ‘shelter in place,’ Stieg explained. “I would say 99.9% of everybody did exactly what they needed to do when they needed to do it.
“So we’re going to have to maybe rename it, or I think maybe taking your tornado precautions would be a better way for me to announce that expectation, as opposed to please shelter in place.”
At SRRHS Superintendent and Principal Tom Swaninger, Ed.D., said that the shelter-in-place went smoothly with no issues there and that Thursday’s warning also fits into broader severe weather planning in SOCSD.
“With the pending super El Niño, we have been having more preparatory discussions about what would happen in the case of inclement weather,” Swaninger said. “There’s no way to tell for sure exactly what we’re dealing with this winter, but I would anticipate, at least if the meteorologists are correct, an uptick in snow in the area, and so just making sure that we’re fully prepared and what would happen in those type of events.”
Sirens
In December Sedona City Council unanimously approved three emergency sirens: One at the Uptown Parking Garage at 430 Forest Road, a second the Nancy J. Alexander Administration Building at 221 Brewer Road and one at the Thompson Trail. The first two were covered by a $269,200 grant with the third self-financed at a cost to not exceed $120,000.
“SPD immediately opened their emergency operations center and began issuing internal and external alerts,” following the NWS alert Graham wrote. “These included outdoor warning sirens, Nixle a text-based alert and information posted on various social media sites.”
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Winter Outlook issued on Oct. 15 forecasts Arizona leaning above-normal precipitation for December through February with equal chances of average temperatures.
“As we know from decades of observations, a very strong El Niño will likely bring a southward and eastward shift to the jet stream for the contiguous U.S., which tilts the odds toward stormier weather across the South,” wrote Ken Graham, director of NOAA’s National Weather Service, in the report. “While higher chances of rain and snow may bring relief to drought-afflicted areas, too much precipitation on dry soil can fuel destructive flash floods and mudslides. Now is the time for communities and individuals to plan ahead for the upcoming winter.”
To stay informed during local emergencies, residents and visitors are encouraged to sign up for Sedona emergency alerts by texting REDROCKS to 888777.
