Strange Buzzing Sound Now Reported Over Much of Minnesota
It's been reported over parts of southeast Minnesota already and will likely be more prevalent across the entire state soon if it's not already. But what's causing that strange buzzing sound?
If you've heard that distinctive buzz this past weekend, too, you're not alone. My wife and I noticed it while we were outside enjoying that incredible Minnesota weather (and lower dew points) last weekend.
It's a distinctive loud buzzing noise, that almost sounded like the buzz made by some of those high-voltage power lines. Power lines in our neighborhood, though, are buried underground, so that couldn't be it.
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So what is it? It's actually the buzz coming from... cicadas. And, according to the Minnesota DNR, it's a sure sign summer is starting to wind down. Because every late summer in the Land of 10,000 Lakes, cicadas make that buzzing noise as a mating call.
But we only hear it sporadically in the Bold North because as insects, they're cold-blooded, they only do it on warm mornings or later in the day when it heats up. This story describes their distinctive buzz as a "high-pitched, whining sound that lasts about a minute and resembles the sound of a distant buzz saw."
Cicadas, which live in the tree canopy across Minnesota, the DNR says, are usually prevalent throughout August and early September. Due to the hot, dry conditions from the drought we experienced last year, that distinctive buzzing of cicadas appeared several weeks earlier, in late July.
There are two other familiar insects across the Land of 10,000 Lakes that make distinctive sounds and noises as well. The DNR says if you're outside this time of year in Minnesota, you'll probably also hear the sound made by crickets and katydids, as well-- especially later in the afternoon and evening. (And I've heard both already heard in our backyard as well.)
If you haven't yet, to hear that buzzing of cicadas or the chirping of crickets in Minnesota, it helps if you're out in the country, or at least not right downtown here in Rochester or another city. Luckily, Minnesota has some fairly small towns where you can pretty much ONLY hear cicadas buzzing and crickets chirping. Keep scrolling to check out the 25 Smallest Towns in Minnesota!
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Minnesota's 25 Smallest Towns According to the 2020 Census
Gallery Credit: Carly Ross
