CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Duke Energy and county officials will test the outdoor warning sirens around the Catawba and McGuire nuclear stations between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 7, 2026.
- Full-volume, three-minute test planned between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m.
- No public action required
Why it matters: To ensure they are functioning properly, sirens will sound for three minutes. Anyone who hears a siren during scheduled testing does not need to take action.
- During testing, some sirens may be tested more than once. Follow-up testing after siren maintenance may be required after 1 p.m.
- Because this is a test, local broadcasting stations will not interrupt regular programming to broadcast Emergency Alert System (EAS) messages. If there was a real emergency requiring the sirens to be sounded, local radio and television stations would broadcast information to the public.
By the numbers: Duke Energy owns and maintains a network of sirens within 10 miles of each of its nuclear plants, including 89 sirens around Catawba Nuclear Station, located in York, S.C., and 67 sirens around McGuire Nuclear Station, located in Huntersville, N.C.
More info: Testing is performed in cooperation with emergency management officials in Catawba, Gaston, Iredell, Lincoln and Mecklenburg counties in North Carolina, and York County in South Carolina, who are responsible for sounding the sirens. Additional details about outdoor warning sirens and nuclear emergency preparedness are available at duke-energy.com/NuclearEP.
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Thomas Hyslip lives in Tega Cay with his wife and daughter. After 27 years in the U.S. Army and Federal Law Enforcement, he retired to pursue his passion for teaching. Tom is now an Assistant Professor of Instruction at the University of South Florida. In 2 short years he has won 10 awards from the South Carolina Press Association, including first place in column writing, education beat reporting and best podcast.
