Warning sirens will be sounded if there are tornados sighted near the community, a funnel cloud sighted near the community or a National Weather Service warning issued for the area, Burleigh County Emergency Management said.

A tornado or funnel cloud sighted within 12 to 15 miles of the community are cause for the alarms, said Mary Senger, emergency manager for Burleigh County. She was responding to questions about why Bismarck sirens were sounded Wednesday night.

"There were people outside that were doing outside activities that weren't sure why they were going off, because there wasn't a tornado,"Senger said.

Residents are encouraged to go inside and tune to local media to determine the weather conditions, such as where the storm is, where it's headed and what's prompting the alarm.

"We really need people to get used to hearing the sirens and take notice that they need to get inside their homes and get the information from the media,"Senger said.

The sirens also could be used for emergencies other than weather incidents, she added.

Senger said there were no reports of significant damage from the storms.