High Quality Content by WIKIPEDIA articles! A civil defense siren (also colloquially referred to as an air raid or tornado siren) is a mechanical or electronic device (modern-day sirens are electrically powered whether they are electronic or electro-mechanical) for generating sound to provide warning of approaching danger and sometimes to indicate when the danger has passed. In some areas in the United States, civil defense sirens may sound in the late morning and early afternoon on a regular basis.