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Sorry, my intention for linking that video was to show that other cities in the US are also hearing loud unexplained booms and not necessarily to alarm anyone.
I think I have figured out what is causing these "booms". It's the new sport of "barrel launching" seen in this video which takes place I believe in the field at the corner of Hwy.98 & Six Forks.
I think "our" booms -- discussed in this thread -- may be from waste management trucks dropping empty waste containers on cement parking lots.
Why?
- If you don't know what they are at first, they are hard to identify.
- They sound like very loud booms.
- The noises have occurred before 11 pm. The noise ordinance in Raleigh says no noise between 11 pm and 7 am. I know that is an issue with the waste management people -- I've brought it to their attention several times in the past.
- Noise can travel surprisingly far. Although the fairgrounds are 10.6 miles away, we hear the fireworks very clearly.
- Because our area has "boomed" in population and in number of businesses, perhaps the noise is from trash being picked up that is from a new business and hasn't been heard or noticed previously.
When I was in college, I was lucky enough to live one floor above the dumpsters! A few mornings each week, around 7:30-8:00am, the truck would come by and pick up the dumpster, shake it upside down a few times, them slam it back down. This went over wonderfully to hung over college kids trying to sleep one off!
And it sounds nothing like an explosion! Sounds like a steel box being dropped onto asphalt!
No way that was from a truck dropping something. I think the sonic-boom theory is the best guess.
Which beckons the question, why are planes going super-sonic over North Raleigh? Aren't there FAA rules about such things? Could this have something to do with the "low flying helicopters" people oft mention on this forum?
In this day and age where almost everything has been demystified I find it interesting that no one has yet fully explained these phenomena.
In this day and age where almost everything has been demystified I find it interesting that no one has yet fully explained these phenomena.
I KNOW! I've not heard "The Noise", but it doesn't keep me from being curious about it. I wish that when people hear it, they would call the sheriff's dept. and ask about it (disturbing the peace?). Email the newspaper asking about it.....email the TV stations about the mysterious "explosions"---something! Someone would surely get curious enough to investigate it.
I don't know if this has already been suggested, but maybe one of you who hears it often could contact WRAL and see if they can investigate it?
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Big Boom Theory
