Knox City Neighborhood Watch

04/14/2026

***SEVERE WEATHER INFORMATION***

Tornado Watch for portions of South-Central and Southeast Kansas Western, Central, and Northern Oklahoma Western North Texas

* Effective this Tuesday afternoon and evening from 320 PM until 1100 PM CDT.

* Primary threats include: A few tornadoes and a couple intense tornadoes possible Scattered large hail and isolated very large hail events to 3.5 inches in diameter likely Scattered damaging winds likely with isolated significant gusts to 75 mph possible

SUMMARY: Supercells that develop this afternoon and evening will likely pose a threat for large to very large hail initially. With time this evening, the threat for a few tornadoes should gradually increase with any thunderstorms that can remain at least semi-discrete. Scattered severe/damaging winds may also occur with any clusters that can eventually form and spread northeastward through the evening. Peak gusts may reach up to 65-75 mph.

The tornado watch area is approximately along and 65 statute miles east and west of a line from 60 miles southwest of Wichita Falls TX to 55 miles west northwest of Chanute KS. For a complete depiction of the watch see the associated watch outline update (WOUS64 KWNS WOU0).

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS

REMEMBER: A Tornado Watch means conditions are favorable for tornadoes and severe thunderstorms in and close to the watch area. Persons in these areas should be on the lookout for threatening weather conditions and listen for later statements and possible warnings.

04/04/2026

Awesome turn out this morning!! Thank you everyone who came out and participated, and thank you to everyone who bought a BBQ sandwich! Thank you to the Knox City-O'Brien CISD for letting us use Greyhound Stadium, thank you to Knox City Chamber of Commerce for helping us purchase the eggs for the hunt and thank you to Chief Candelaria for always putting together a great event!

04/04/2026

Our little sluggers are rained out this morning, but the Easter Egg Hunt is still a go! Come see us and our friends from the Knox City chamber of Commerce starting at 10am at Greyhound Stadium. Play some games, meet the Easter Bunny and get ready for the mad dash to find the golden prize eggs! Good luck! Because we have 3,000 eggs to put out! See everyone soon!

Mark your calendars and ramp up your cardio! Bigger! Funner(that’s a word right? 🤣) and packed full of good, wholesome, family fun! Grab a brown bag lunch and hang out with the Easter Bunny! Get there early and join us and our friends from the Knox City Chamber of Commerce for the sooon and egg race, bean bag toss and to stake out the best spot to hunt for the golden prize eggs! Good luck, because there’s going to be over 3,000 eggs this year! All proceeds from the Brown Bag Lunch go towards our scholarship fund and the 3rd of July Fireworks.

04/03/2026

Don’t forget! Join us and the Easter Bunny tomorrow morning starting at 10am! Come play some games and take pictures with the Easter bunny before the Easter Egg Hunt kicks off around 11am(may be just after 11am to accommodate T-Ball). We will have brown bag lunches and snacks for sale as well.

Mark your calendars and ramp up your cardio! Bigger! Funner(that’s a word right? 🤣) and packed full of good, wholesome, family fun! Grab a brown bag lunch and hang out with the Easter Bunny! Get there early and join us and our friends from the Knox City Chamber of Commerce for the sooon and egg race, bean bag toss and to stake out the best spot to hunt for the golden prize eggs! Good luck, because there’s going to be over 3,000 eggs this year! All proceeds from the Brown Bag Lunch go towards our scholarship fund and the 3rd of July Fireworks.

04/02/2026

Information about the City of Knox City’s Outdoor Warning Sirens:

An Outdoor Warning Siren (OWS) system consists of siren(s) designed to alert people of approaching or existing hazardous conditions, which will require immediate protective actions in order to save lives. Traditionally, these systems have been referred to as “tornado sirens” but the term fails to acknowledge all applications for activating the way sirens as directed by the National Weather Service. In order to avoid any confusion as to the purpose of these systems, the The City of Knox City refers to the sirens as “Outdoor Warning Sirens” in an effort to reinforce the multiple conditions for which the City of Knox City may activate sirens to alert people in OUTDOOR areas.

Here are some things to know about Outdoor
Warning Sirens:
* Sirens are for outdoor warning purposes and are not meant to be heard indoors.
* Hearing a siren is a signal to get indoors and seek additional information.
* If a siren stops, it does not mean the threat has ended.

Reasons for Activation

The City of Knox City may use the Outdoor Warning Sirens to alert and notify people in outdoor areas of emergency situations. Although the typical use of these systems has been to notify people of potentially dangerous weather conditions, there are several reasons why public safety personnel could activate outdoor warning siren systems. Some of these reasons include:
• Severe Weather capable of producing effects that are hazardous to persons or property
• Local Warning Point (the Knox County Central Dispatch) activates in coordination with the National Emergency Alert System
• Hazardous materials released into the atmosphere
• Catastrophic emergencies that pose an immediate threat to safety (i.e. large wildfire approaching town)

Activation Considerations

The City of Knox City may consider activating the Outdoor Warning Siren Systems when the following conditions are observed or predicted in their area:
• The National Weather Service (NWS) issues a Tornado Warning. The Outdoor Warning Siren System will be activated when the National Weather Service issues a polygon for the tornado warning to include the City of Knox City or the immediate surrounding area. The Outdoor Warning Siren System will activate for three (3) minutes to provide warning to the community. There may be times that the City activates the siren system more than once to provide advanced warning, when possible.
• The National Weather Service Issues a Severe Thunderstorm Warning and indicates the potential for destructive winds of 70 mph or greater (sustained, notwind gusts).
• Trained storm spotters have reported a tornado in the jurisdiction, or in a neighboring jurisdiction that has the potential to affect our community.
• Observed hail of 1.5” in diameter or greater. The size of hail that warrants outdoor warning siren activation may be adjusted at the discretion of local officials in the event of special situations such as large outdoor public gatherings where the potential for injury is increased.
• Other emergency as directed by the community’s designated public safety officials.

System Design and Considerations

The City of Knox City has 2 rotating electro-mechanical sirens. Rotational sirens typically employ a single output that rotates for the duration of the siren activation.
Sound propagation is affected by several factors such as vegetation, obstacles, and the insulating factors of homes, buildings, vehicles, wind and direction that the rotating siren is facing. This greatly affects the ability of people inside buildings or vehicles to hear the Outdoor Warning Siren System when activated. Therefore, it is important to know that the Outdoor Warning Siren System’s design is intended to ensure that persons who are outdoors should be able to hear the sirens. This means that persons who are indoors MAY NOT necessarily hear the sirens in their area and should utilize other means for notification such as NOAA Weather Radios, Wireless Emergency Alerts, MidlothianSafe Alerts, Emergency Notification System, radio and local television media for emergency notification. The City of Knox City currently has 2 electro-mechanical rotating sirens: 1 at City Hall and 1 at the Community Center.

Weekly Testing

The City of Knox City tests the Outdoor Warning Siren System at 12pm on Monday’s, weather permitting. The siren test will activate and run for 3 minutes to ensure that the sirens are functioning properly. The Outdoor Warning Siren System will not be tested during periods in which overcast, severe or inclement weather is possible, so as to avoid confusion between actual weather events and testing.

03/31/2026

***SEVERE WEATHER INFORMATION***

Watch county notification for watch 81
National Weather Service Norman OK
436 PM CDT Tue Mar 31 2026
The NWS Storm Prediction Center has issued a

* Severe Thunderstorm Watch for portions of Western Oklahoma Western North Texas and Panhandle

* Effective this Tuesday afternoon and evening from 435 PM until 1100 PM CDT.

* Primary threats include: Scattered damaging wind gusts to 70 mph possible Scattered large hail events to 1.5 inches in diameter possible A tornado or two possible

SUMMARY: Storms are expected to further develop and intensify through early evening across the southeast Texas Panhandle/Low Rolling Plains into western Oklahoma, with large hail and locally damaging winds as the primary hazards.

The severe thunderstorm watch area is approximately along and 55 statute miles east and west of a line from 75 miles northeast of Clinton OK to 70 miles south of Childress TX. For a complete depiction of the watch see the associated watch outline update (WOUS64 KWNS WOU1).

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS

REMEMBER: A Severe Thunderstorm Watch means conditions are favorable for severe thunderstorms in and close to the watch area. Persons in these areas should be on the lookout for threatening weather conditions and listen for later statements and possible warnings. Severe thunderstorms can and occasionally do produce tornadoes.

03/31/2026

03/31/2026

🚨 PUBLIC NOTICE: Statewide Emergency Alert Test Scheduled for April 2🚨

On Thursday, April 2, 2026, emergency management agencies across Texas will conduct a statewide test of public warning systems between 10:00 AM and 12:30 PM.

During this time, you may receive test alerts through:

1. Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA) on your phone
2. Emergency notification systems
3. Other local alerting platforms, including CodeRED, Reverse 911, Local Outdoor Warning Systems(Storm Sirens), and Remind. We will be testing our Outdoor Warning System at NOON. The sirens will run for 3mins and then shut off automatically.

This is only a test. There is no emergency.
This drill helps ensure alert systems are working properly so we can quickly notify the public during real emergencies. No action is needed, this is only a test.

What you should do:

1. Take a moment to review your family’s emergency plans. If you don’t have one, now would be a good time to develop one with the family.

2. Make sure your contact information is up to date with family and friends outside of the Greater Knox County Area.

3. Check your disaster preparedness kit. Rotate out any expired canned goods, damaged non-perishables, and bottled water. Check batteries in flashlights and lanterns and weather radios.

We appreciate your patience as we work to keep our community safe and prepared. More details are available through the Texas Division of Emergency Management: https://www.tdem.texas.gov/press-release/3-18-26-drill

The Knox County News-Courier
Knox City Police Department
Knox City Volunteer Fire Department
Knox City-O'Brien CISD