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Butler County Sheriff’s Office explains why tornado sirens activated Monday night

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BUTLER COUNTY — People in Butler County heard tornado sirens during Monday night’s storms.

>>PHOTOS: Lightning across the Miami Valley

The Butler County Sheriff’s Office said this started when a trained weather spotter reported seeing a possible funnel cloud in the Monroe area, Butler County Sheriff Richard K. Jones said Tuesday.

“To err on the side of caution, Butler County activated the weather sirens,” said Sheriff Jones. “It was later determined there was no indication of any tornadic activity.”

When that happened, Middletown Police posted on their Facebook page saying the Monroe area was under a tornado warning.

>>NWS did not issue tornado watch or warning Monday night, meteorologist says

Storm Center 7 Meteorologist Robert Gauthreaux says tornado warnings are only supposed to come from the National Weather Service.

He explained in an emergency, it is important to alert as many people as possible about the potential for severe weather.

With social media, smartphones, and tornado sirens, Robert said it is always better to be safe than sorry and there will be instances of miscommunication about the actual events taking place.

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That’s why it’s so important to rely on the National Weather Service for official weather bulletins such as tornado warnings or severe thunderstorm warnings. Those are only issued by the National Weather Service should a warning be issued.

Robert says StormCenter 7 will always alert you every time the National Weather Service issues a tornado warning.

You can also download the StormCenter 7 weather app to receive alerts on your smartphone during severe weather and you can receive these alerts based on your location.

To download the StormCenter 7 weather app, visit this website.

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