Location: Thorn Hill Education Center
System: Franklin County
Testing schedule: First Monday of each month at noon, weather permitting; Kentucky SWA
Testing time: 10:07:05 AM (on time)
Cycle when tested: 1 minute alert, 3 minute attack for tornado warnings
Cameras used: Canon PowerShot SX540HS (tight shot), Sony CyberShot DSC-HX400V (wide shot & audio)
Recording distance from siren: 270 feet
Loudness: 114.6 dBA, 116.1 dBC, 116 dBA
Temperature: 58°F
Other enthusiasts present: Connor (‪@Thunderbolt1000Tfan‬ ), Benicio (‪@CentralOHSirens‬ ), Alex (‪@SteelCitySirensandTrains‬ )
Other notes: Well, this was a pretty disappointing day if I'm being completely honest. So, we decided to carpool Alex & Benicio again, this time to Kentucky for their statewide tornado drill. We ended up going for this kind of low mounted Thunderbolt at the Thorn Hill Education Center in Frankfort since it needed updated recordings and we heard from a few people that it's crazy loud. Unfortunately, it was raining the entire morning, which forced us to set up our cameras while holding umbrellas. On the bright side, the overcast sky allowed us to get this nice tree shot that would otherwise be backlit if the sun was out. We were all really hoping that this would do full attack like the county does for tornado warnings, but unfortunately, it only went for a minute of alert, which is what they do for monthly tests. Because of the short test and the rain, we didn't really have the chance to walk up close to it and gauge how loud it is, although it certainly seemed just as loud as any 'bolt should be. After this, we hauled to the Banshee 115 in Clermont County, but they ended up having another system-wide failure because apparently this day wasn't already disappointing enough. Needless to say, this year's Kentucky SWA/Clermont combo went nowhere near as well as last year's. Thankfully, however; despite the rain, we all managed to get pretty good videos of this Thunderbolt. Our sound level meters read 112.2 and 116 dBA, and 116.1 dBC from our setup location, and mine got up to 114.6 from a little under 100 feet away when the horn faced me. Enjoy!
Follow me on Instagram:
@buckeyenotifications