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Nancy Yang

False alarm: Sirens go off in Hennepin County after 'malfunction'

Emergency siren
Emergency sirens went off accidentally in Hennepin County.
Tim Nelson for MPR News

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Updated: 7:27 a.m. | Posted: 6:41 a.m.

It's OK, everyone — there's no weather emergency or alien invasion.

Tornado sirens accidentally went off around 6:10 a.m. Tuesday in Hennepin County, waking up (and confusing) countless residents and sending Twitter in a frenzy that the end was here.

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Blame a "mistake/malfunction."

The Hennepin County Sheriff's Office said workers were doing some maintenance on the system when the tornado sirens accidentally sounded.

"The outdoor warning siren system is tested daily to ensure functionality. The system experienced a momentary computer hardware malfunction during the daily test. The system has since been repaired and all systems are operating normally," said a statement from the sheriff's office.

Consider it a preview. This week is Severe Weather Awareness Week. Two statewide drills are scheduled for Thursday at 1:45 p.m. and 6:55 p.m.

MPR News reporter Riham Feshir contributed to this report.