COLUMBUS No tornado hit Columbus. No tornado warning is in effect. The sirens you heard this morning were part of Ohio’s annual Statewide Tornado Drill.
AccuWeather confirmed zero active weather warnings for Columbus as of 9:57 a.m. Wednesday. The National Weather Service shows no severe weather alerts for Franklin County today.
Franklin County set off all 196 outdoor warning sirens at 9:50 a.m. as part of Ohio’s Severe Weather Awareness Week, which runs March 15 through 21. The sirens ran for three full minutes, longer than the usual one-minute Wednesday noon test, and used the same tone that sounds during a real tornado warning. That is why it startled people.
Carter Smith, the alerting and warning manager for Franklin County Emergency Management, manually activates the system from a control panel. Franklin County’s sirens are divided into four zones — meaning Smith can sound all 196 at once or activate a single siren on its own if needed.
“So, when we send out the alerts on Wednesday, it’s a manual process,” Smith said. “The county can be activated all in uniform, so all four quadrants can be activated, or they can be activated separately by quadrant or individually, so I could actually go in and activate a singular siren if needed.”
Know the Difference, Watch vs. Warning
Ohio tornado season runs March through June. Here is what each alert means.
A tornado WATCH means conditions are favorable for tornadoes to develop. Stay aware and be ready to act. A tornado WARNING means a tornado has been spotted or detected on radar. Take shelter immediately.
When a real warning is issued, go to the lowest floor of a sturdy building. Stay away from windows. If you are in a mobile home, leave and get to the nearest solid structure. Do not go outside to look for the storm.
Central Ohio Had Four Tornadoes in 2025
Last year, four tornadoes were confirmed in Central Ohio. An EF-1 struck Fayette County near Jeffersonville on March 29. An EF-0 touched down just south of Interstate 270 in the Obetz area the same day. A third tornado hit Fayette County again on April 2, and an EF-1 was confirmed in Holmes County near Lake Buckhorn on June 9.
Ohio recorded 28 tornadoes statewide in 2025, slightly above the average of 22.
Sign up for Franklin County emergency alerts at fcemhs.org to get real-time warnings on your phone.
This article is based on information from Franklin County Emergency Management and Homeland Security, the National Weather Service, AccuWeather.
Published: March 18, 2026 | ColumbusFrontline.com