The Sound and the Flurry
Ever find yourself this time of year thinking that you’re hearing more noise than usual? City people: Think you hear more sirens? Country folk: Suddenly feel like that distant train is a heck of a lot closer? There’s a reason.
The Vane deftly describes why you’re likely to hear more as the weather changes in a post that will interest weather geeks and sound nerds alike. It goes to great lengths to explain why, as the weather dips and certain parts of the country, we hear more noise. It all has to do with temperature inversions.
When there’s a strong temperature inversion present, it can affect sound much like an echo in a big, empty room. The density difference between the cool air near the surface and the warmer air above the ground can reflect sound waves back toward the ground, allowing localized noises to be heard over a much greater distance.
I’m considerably less interested in the weather aspect as the sound aspect. I always felt like winter was better for listening. I blamed it on molecules somehow moving slower in lower temperatures. I blamed it on some nonspecific calm I assumed set in. Sort of right, I guess?
Here’s a picture to help:
