For a change, Mankato-area officials hope they hear tornado sirens going off Friday afternoon.
Blue Earth County is planning to test its outdoor sirens yet again after none of them worked Wednesday as part of a statewide monthly test. The test is planned for 2 p.m.
Capt. Paul Barta of the Blue Earth County Sheriff's Office said Thursday afternoon county officials believe they know what went wrong with the siren system, but they won't know for sure until they test it again.
"It's kind of like a science project where you're working on a hypothesis," Barta said. "We want to be optimistic that we've got things resolved but you never know until it's working the way that it should be during a full-functioning test."
Barta said the county will provide more information about what went wrong if the test is successful.
Blue Earth County also oversees sirens in nearby North Mankato, part of Nicollet County.
County officials say other warning systems will be used, including federal Integrated Public Alert and Warning System (IPAWS) text messaging, if severe weather takes place before the sirens are fixed. The forecast calls for clouds to clear this evening and sunny skies tomorrow.
