Answers · Safety and health

When are Hawaiʻi's outdoor warning sirens tested?

On the first business day of each month. The sirens, along with the Emergency Alert System, are tested then in collaboration with the county emergency management and civil defense agencies and local radio, TV and cable broadcasters, the Hawaiʻi Emergency Management Agency says.

When a siren tone is heard other than a scheduled test, the agency says to tune into local radio, TV or cable stations for emergency information and instructions from official authorities; alerts may also come as a Wireless Emergency Alert.

The sirens are all-hazard: the agency lists tsunamis, hurricanes, dam breaches, flooding, wildfires, volcanic eruptions, terrorist threats and hazardous material incidents among the events they can be used for. The sirens are battery-powered and use a photovoltaic charging system, the agency says.

From

Hawaiʻi Emergency Management Agency: Hawaiʻi Emergency Management Agency, All-Hazard Statewide Outdoor Warning Siren System

As of

Sept. 27, 2026, when the Ledger read the agency's page

Applies to

the whole state

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Basis. Every sentence above comes from the page or document named, read on Sept. 27, 2026, in the agency's words as closely as a sentence allows; the agency's page governs if it has changed since. The Ledger adds no advice of its own. Corrections: the corrections log.