One Manitou Springs flood siren malfunctioned Friday just as a storm dropped nearly two inches of rain and hail over the town, prompting the closure of U.S. 24 and flash flood warnings from the National Weather Service.

Although the alarm horn on the siren at Osage Avenue did not go off, the automated voice announcement worked and officers backed up the siren with their patrol cars’ speaker systems, said Manitou Springs Police Chief Joe Ribeiro.

A broken switch that sticks in the “off” mode is causing the problems, Ribeiro said Tuesday.

The defect was discovered when the siren was tested Thursday in preparation for continuing severe weather forecasts, and a new part was ordered immediately, said Manitou Springs spokesman Dave Hunting. Repairs are expected to be completed this week, as soon as the part arrives, Hunting said.

“Normally the siren goes off first, followed by the voice instruction alerting people to move to higher ground,” Hunting said, adding that police did not receive reports of problems with residents hearing the voice announcements.

On Friday, Manitou Springs residents told The Gazette they had a hard time hearing the siren on the west end of the town, describing the sound being spotchy, like it was blaring feedback.

Sheila Alexopoulos, who lives on Park Avenue, less than a third of a mile from the faulty siren, said that it sounded like the sirens were full of static and they weren’t loud enough to hear indoors.

“Even on the back porch, you could barely them,” Alexopoulos said. “It had a weird sound quality to it, like it was defective.”

The storm Friday caused localized flooding at several Manitou Springs street intersections. The weather service reported that .67 inches of rain fell over lower Waldo Canyon between 8:20 p.m. and 9:20 p.m., prompting a flash flood warning that was in effect until after 11 p.m. and closed U.S. 24 for about three hours.

With drier conditions in the forecast for the rest of this week, Manitou Springs officials may get enough time to repair the siren before another round of storms hit the Pikes Peak region.

“Feedback after the storm was good, except for the normal displeasure that some have with the closure of Highway 24,” Ribeiro said.

Colorado Springs Fire Chief Christopher Riley gets last-minute advice from Maj. Tyler Ellison as he prepares for a flight with the Air Force Thunderbirds Tuesday. The flying team will soar above the Air Force Academy’s Wednesday graduation. (TOM ROEDER / THE GAZETTE)