Washington County 911

09/19/2026

WCCD911 is assisting the Washington County Amateur Radio Emergency Service group with a Simulated Emergency Test today at Washington County Ambulance District Headquarters. The purpose is to test interoperable communications and coordination with other organizations that would assist us in a large scale disaster. A huge thank you to WCAD for hosting the event and thanks to Washington County ARES for organizing the event!

09/13/2026

Large controlled burn in the area of E Hwy 8/Racetrack Road (Harbison Sawmill). Flames will be visible from highway.

09/09/2026

Due to rain/ storms in the area, we will not be testing the Outdoor Warning Sirens today.

08/30/2026

If you need to reach us for a non emergency, dial 573-438-1346

08/14/2026

We are currently having issues with our non-emergency lines. If you need to reach us, please dial (573) 438-1079.

All of our 9-1-1 lines are still functioning normally.

08/11/2026

So, we've been asked a lot of questions about outdoor warning sirens in the last couple of weeks. We wanted to make a post to address some of those questions.

Q: Does 9-1-1 own the outdoor warning sirens?

A: No, we don't own them or maintain them, we only have the ability to set them off.

Q: Do you set them off for the entire county when there is a warning?

A: No, we only activate the sirens for areas located within the warning polygon/ area, provided that the area has a siren installed. We do this because we don't want to cause unnecessary panic or alarm in areas that are not under the warning.

Q: Why don't they go off as soon as a Tornado Warning is issued?

A: The sirens have to be activated manually by a dispatcher from one of our radio dispatch consoles, so there may be a slight delay between us receiving the warning and siren activation.

Outdoor warning sirens are primarily designed to alert people who are OUTDOORS. They are not designed to reliably wake you up or alert you inside your home. You may NOT hear a siren inside your house. Walls, windows, insulation, closed doors, air conditioning, fans, televisions, and even simply being asleep can prevent you from hearing an outdoor warning siren.

So what should you do?

Don't rely on an outdoor warning siren as your only warning.

📱 Keep Wireless Emergency Alerts enabled on your phone.
📻 Have a NOAA Weather Radio.
📺 Monitor trusted local weather information.
🔔 Use a reliable weather alert app.
🌪️ Know where your safe place is BEFORE severe weather arrives.

Remember:

🚨 SIRENS ARE NOT DESIGNED TO BE HEARD EVERYWHERE.
📱 DON'T WAIT FOR A SIREN TO TAKE ACTION.
🏠 IF YOU RECEIVE A WARNING FOR YOUR AREA, GET TO YOUR SAFE PLACE IMMEDIATELY.

Severe weather can develop quickly and with sometimes with very little warning. Make sure you are prepared to receive alerts from multiple sources.

Stay weather aware. Stay informed. Stay safe.

08/01/2026

Tornado Warning
MOC187-221-010300-
/O.NEW.KLSX.TO.W.0078.260801T0215Z-260801T0300Z/

BULLETIN - EAS ACTIVATION REQUESTED
Tornado Warning
National Weather Service St Louis MO
915 PM CDT Fri Jul 31 2026

The National Weather Service in St Louis has issued a

* Tornado Warning for...
Southeastern Washington County in east central Missouri...
Saint Francois County in southeastern Missouri...

* Until 1000 PM CDT.

* At 915 PM CDT, a severe thunderstorm capable of producing a tornado
was located near Potosi, moving east at 40 mph.

HAZARD...Tornado.

SOURCE...Radar indicated rotation.

IMPACT...Flying debris will be dangerous to those caught without
shelter. Mobile homes will be damaged or destroyed. Damage
to roofs, windows and vehicles will occur. Tree damage is
likely.

* Locations impacted include...
Shirley, Latty, Belgrade, Caledonia, Potosi, Mineral Point, Cadet,
Irondale, Bismarck, Frankclay, Leadwood, Bonne Terre, Desloge, Doe
Run, Park Hills, Leadington, Farmington, K**b Lick and French
Village.

This includes the following State Parks...
St. Joe State Park, St. Francois State Park and Missouri Mines
Historic Site.

07/31/2026

07/31/2026

Tornado Watch issued for Washington County until 11:00 p.m. CDT.

07/31/2026

Stay weather aware today!

Weak showers and thunderstorms are forecast to move west to east across the area this morning. Additional storms are expected along a cold front. Some of these storms may be strong to severe with damaging winds and a brief, weak tornado or two possible.