Your cell phone's going to become part of the Alert Ready System's expansion.

Provincial Minister of Infrastructure Ron Schuler says that happens today.

"That means if there's a tornado warning," he says, "(Or) there's a belief that there could be a catastrophic weather event coming our way, that they can now send that signal to cell phones, and to smartphones as well."

Schuler says the new alert will have a distinct sound and vibration, and here's what it sounds like.

Schuler adds on May 9th, there's be a nation-wide test of the system, at 1:55 pm.

"So you're going to have that unique buzzing," he says, "You're going to hear a unique kind of a tone, and people should recognize that on their phones as a test. And from then, going forward, if that actually happens, you should pay attention, and read the text message."