What Happens When a Siren Gets Struck By Lightning - Whelen WPS-4004, Stuttgart, AR

So apparently one of Stuttgart’s Whelen sirens got hit by lightning and wouldn’t stop sounding the “Hi-Lo” tone as a result. This was the day of the week they would normally test (Wednesday), though it was cancelled due to the weather; even so, they test the “Wail” tone for 3 minutes, not “Hi-Lo” for....well, at least 20 minutes. The other four sirens were not affected.
I should note that the system was actually upgraded over the past year or two due to issues with them. Prior to the upgrade, the sirens used digital ESC-864 controllers, and a WPS-3016 existed on the system (they probably all used to be 3016’s prior to four of them receiving new Vortex or WPS-4000 series heads, though that’s just my guess). The 3016 was replaced with a new three-driver, omnidirectional siren (now either a WPS-2903 or OA3), and all sirens received a controller upgrade; interestingly, though, it appears as if the cabinets were unchanged.
SIREN DETAILS
Owner: CITY OF STUTTGART (presumably)
Manufacturer: WHELEN ENGINEERING
Model: WPS-4004
Controller: ESC-2030(?) (former digital ESC-864; upgraded 2019-2020, cabinet reused)
Tone(s) Used:
- 3 Min. Wail: Tests and Tornado Warnings
- Live Voice Broadcast: At start of tests (unsure as to whether it’s used during activations for Tornado Warnings)
- “Seemingly Endless” Hi-Lo: This one instance
Test Policy: Siren is tested every Wednesday at roughly 12:00 PM, weather permitting

[@stampycatfan01lol]

UPDATE: Someone has informed me that the type of controller involved (an ESC-2030) has a ribbon connector issue that sometimes causes the siren to sound hi-lo until someone looks at it. Though this isn’t what a guy who works for the fire department stated, this is now a very likely cause.

[@ElevatorWasher5000]

Ok at least it isn’t broken

[@SCOTTISHCOYOTE]

That happened to Columbus, Ohio too, I live in Michigan but I saw it on some news.

[@coleoutlaw8741]

Nice to see someone else in Arkansas with an interest in sirens. I'm in stuttgart often during duck season, and I got family that farms south of town. Didn't know they already replaced that 3016.

[@stampycatfan01lol]

Yeah, they replaced the 3016 back in 2019 or 2020 I think. They probably did it just to reduce maintenance costs, especially since the replacement head, which makes it either a WPS-2903 or an OA3 (though I’m leaning towards the former), uses 3 speaker drivers as opposed to 16. Interesting how they replaced ONLY the 3016 but kept the WPS-4004’s in place.

[@stampycatfan01lol]

Just so you know, the siren was hit BEFORE the video was taken; as such, the lightning strike is not seen here.

[@TheMatsushitaMan]

I was waiting in suspense to see when it got struck lol

[@Camimp01]

@@TheMatsushitaMan same lol

[@pacificpational2626]

Now that’s a lightning siren

[@KidCrazer14]

Hahaha yep

[@sirenhead666wo]

whelelighting

[@ihaveheadtrauma]

The strike hit the siren before the video and the siren does not sound this signal, the strike set off the HI LO on the siren even though they only use it for tornado warnings

[@tomprosser8958]

Where the hell are we Paris??!

[@Vigilance108]

"Thank you for pressing the self destruct button, the ship will self destruct in approximately 2 minutes and 45 seconds."

[@MasenMonster]

At least it got a good workout! XD

[@niks_crazy_world]

This is an ESC-2030, and this wasn’t a lightning strike. 2030s have a weird issue involving ribbon cables that can cause them to go faulty and randomly activate this tone until someone looks at it.

[@stampycatfan01lol]

Though someone who works for the fire department claimed that it was a lightning strike, the fact that you mentioned this may potentially lead to this being the culprit as opposed to a lightning strike.

[@HSETM]

Plot Twist: It's a lightning protection siren

[@jamiethomas587]

Where is all the sirens in stugartt

[@1000BT]

Hilo is for lighting so it probably didn’t get hit

[@stampycatfan01lol]

Though some places do use hi-lo for lightning alerts, this depends largely on who owns it. I also asked someone who works for the fire department later that day, and they confirmed that it was indeed struck by lightning. Stuttgart’s sirens are only used for Tornado Warnings.

[@SirenRecordingsofIowa]

It decided to do "hi,lo" and not wail :(

[@shodowhater]

...well, at least it was wednesday

[@stampycatfan01lol]

Very true. Granted, it probably caused some confusion among residents, but at least it didn’t sound the same tone as it would when activated for a Tornado Warning.

[@centralandsouthernarkansas9103]

that’s embarrassing ngl lol 😂

[@stampycatfan01lol]

These sorts of things do happen sometimes. They eventually did shut it off, probably by disconnecting it from power.

[@Hay68419]

sounds like Indonesian railroad crossing

[@SirensAndAlarmsOfNorthernIL]

Oof