Canada, North Vancouver · 2019-02-09 · from the WORLDHUMMAP archive
A low hum in Canada, North Vancouver
A sound similar to a faraway engine (the way some of the tones mesh together or are lost) but occasionally much louder - obnoxiously loud - without any doppler effect to indicate that it's moving in any direction from beginning or end. It is very distinct from not the usual humming and buzzing background noise of electronics, appliances, lightbulbs, and traffic. Outside or inside doesn't much impact the intensity of the sound. Walking and driving around trying to find a source or direction has been fruitless: I can't detect any change in sound to indicate where to look. The sound seems to come from all directions equally, at least to the sensitivity of my ears. When I notice it I usually think at first that it's a a plane flying really close, but then there's no doppler - it doesn't change gradually in frequency with a "direction" I seem to be able to follow. It just starts and stops, with very rapid changes in volume. Times I've heard it have ranged from several minutes with repeating intervals of interminable length of relative loudness or quietness, or as constant sound with a largely consistent volume that's lasted for several hours. It's as if the sound is coming from the sky or perhaps the ground as it seems to be all around. I've looked for machine sources and even driven to a pulp and paper plant trying to trace the source to no avail. I've wondered if it's somehow connected to cold temperatures or a particular kind of cloud cover or wind because I've only heard it in winter nighttime conditions when snow is immanent but not yet falling. I've heard it in North Vancouver, but also in Kamloops.
What they reported
First noticed: 2011
Loudest: During the night
Where: Equal indoors and outdoors
Symptoms: Ear discomfort (pain, fullness, throbbing), Insomnia, Nausea, Sense of vibration, Anxiety, I don't know if my migraines are connected or not
Changes with weather: Winter nighttime conditions when snow is immanent but not yet falling.
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This is a Hum report from Dr Glen MacPherson's World Hum Map, an open, worldwide record of people who hear an unexplained low-frequency hum. Reproduced with permission and with thanks; the project is at thehum.info. We remove anything on request. Location shown is approximate.
Anomaly