Last night, I kept on hearing a faint vibrating noise and checked the phone in my purse several times because I thought it was on vibrate and someone was trying to call. No one was, but I kept on hearing the noise intermittently for a few hours. It was strange. After a while, it stopped and I forgot about it, until I read the following email from reader Siobhan White:
Is anyone else complaining of hearing a weird humming sound? It's a constant sound, that swells for about 4 seconds, then fades slightly for 6 seconds or so, then swells again. It is consistent, and I've noticed it for the past 4 days or so. I kept hearing it in my apartment, and it was louder in my bedroom. I thought perhaps my upstairs neighbor had a cell phone on the floor and I could hear it vibrating -- it sounds like a cell phone vibrating in another room. I've awakened several times the last few nights and heard it (and fixated on it and couldn't fall back to sleep). Was just out walking my dog and realized the sound was OUTSIDE (and much louder).
Any ideas? (And I know it's not in my head -- really!) My husband thought it might be coming from the East River (dredging?) and another friend thought it could be the construction on First and Bond. (We live on Union/Henry, so that seems too far away.)I posted on FB and several friends hear it, too. Some live as far down as PS 29! It's happening right now.
Thanks, SiobhanI immediately wrote her back to say that I was glad that I hadn't lost my mind and that someone else was hearing the strange noise as well. As a matter of fact, I noticed the same humming and vibration this morning at 7 Am. So did Shiobhan.
She tells me that her husband called 311 last night and was told that they had gotten no complaints.
Is anyone else hearing it too? What could it be?
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58 comments:
I heard the noise too! I kept thinking it was my phone but it wasn't. Strange. Hope you can get some answers.
I hope so, Janah. It is quite annoying.
this has been driving me crazy, also hearing it!
Hi Katia, I heard it too, but my husband did not. I remember hearing the same thing over the summer. Sounds a little bit like the fog horn or a generator...could be something on a ship in the harbor. Its such a low frequency that it probably travels pretty far. I'd love to know what it was!
Yup. Heard it, too. I live at Henry and DeGraw. Thought I was losing my mind.
I heard it last night and this morning as well.
I was up all night from it. I much prefer the traffic sounds of the BQE. The sound is kind of sinister -- like some secret scientific experiment is being conducted. Please post if you find out what it is.
I agree. I had visions of alien forces trying to call us to the mother ship. And I don't believe in that kind of thing.
I am actually hearing it right now,
i live on the same intersection as the first writer, siobhan. have not noticed anything but will listen tonight and tomorrow.
there's a number of things it could be. this neighborhood is near a large body of water along a harborfront, which includes tunnels that travel through the water - including subway tunnels that travel not far from this neighborhood. tunnels echo and vibrate, both from activity happening inside the tunnel as well as outside. those tunnels have massive fans running 24 hours a day, right? it's possible that during the late hours (when the rest of the city is relatively quiet) that we can pick out certain hums and vibrations that are normally there all the time.
likewise, could it be a power source? aren't there power grids in red hook and along the columbia waterfront?
during the winter, people are even less active at night, so perhaps the sounds are easier to discern at this time of year.
I heard it the other night. Sounded like a washing machine on spin cycle with an uneven load.
I concluded at the time it must have been a helicopter...
I'm at President and Court.
I heard it too on Court and President. It seemed to ebb and flow, but was so loud around 3 a.m. I couldn't fall back asleep. I thought I was going crazy at first, or that something bizarre had happened and a cell phone set permanently to vibrate had fallen into the wall.
To all- I came here because I googled strange humming sounds Long Island, this page came up.
I live in Suffolk Co., and heard this first for 2 hours in May 2013 late at night. Then heard it again a week ago. It was centered not in my house but out on the water.
I have 2 websites you might find helpful, as this is a worldwide phenomena.
This one has a map and you can pull down what other people in Brooklyn are saying
http://thehum.info/
This one just has people telling their stories, some of which are similar to yours.
http://www.hdwarrior.co.uk/2013/02/03/where-is-that-strange-humming-noise-coming-from/
Good luck...I still don't know.
Con Ed is doing some work on Sackett between Henry and Hicks and it was generating a noise that sounds similar to this when I walked past. Not sure if they were working last night though
Carroll Gardens is on my top five places for an alien invasion.
Could it be drones?
Count me in, I heard it too, late Thursday night. I'm on Union & Clinton. I thought it was perhaps the wind, and didn't focus too much on it, but if I hear it again I will call the precinct, maybe they can shed some light on it. Hopefully others will also call if it happens again, I don't want to be singled out as the conspiracy nut :-)
Nothing to worry about. It's just The Creature from the Gow-anus Lagoon calling for a mate.
Everyone is not going crazy. This humming sound has been occurring for the past 3 to 4 months now. I've been hearing it where I live by Henry and Sackett. Originally, I thought my neighbor had his cell phone on either the floor or on a table. But that wasn't the case. Whatever it may be, I'm sure this isn't the last time we hear about this.
I am in Texas and last night around 2:20 am (central time), I was awakened by what sounded like a humming sound. I did not see or hear anything in our local news this morning.
Someone 35 miles from where I live heard it also.
Everyone is not going crazy. This humming sound has been occurring for the past 3 to 4 months now. I've been hearing it where I live by Henry and Sackett. Originally, I thought my neighbor had his cell phone on either the floor or on a table. But that wasn't the case. Whatever it may be, I'm sure this isn't the last time we hear about this.
Also of concern are those microphone looking things popping up around the neighborhood. They're usually mounted on street light poles about 10 feet up. Saw one on 4th place near the train overpass and on 4th street. Looks like it's some kind of sound monitoring but who's doing it and why?
Thank God I am not crazy. I've been hearing this for a while now (Huntington & Smith) and thought I was losing my mind since neither my husband nor son can hear it.
For the record, I have not heard it for the past several hours...
don't you think it is from the testing going on at Public Place site - Smith/5th Street/Gowanus? It was reported here that work would begin the last week of Feb.
I heard similar sound and thought it was my neighbor washing maching and it is louder when you go to the sub ground level (basement). This sound has been re-occurring over month but not on a regular schedule. I'm on Carroll btw Smith & Hoyt.
An Anonymous commentator referred to the "Public Place site - Smith/5th Street/Gowanus? It was reported here that work would begin the last week of Feb."
That may very well be the cause of the vibration noise we are hearing. I found the website set up by National Grid providing info on the remediation work they are conducting at the former Manufactured Gas Plant (MGP) site:
http://www.citizensmgpsite.com/
I heard this off and on since the summer. One Sunday morning when everything was quiet, rode my bike toward the noise. It lead me to the Battery Tunnel. To me it sounds like a giant fan. Right now I don't hear it at all. Days will go by and I will forget to ask anyone else. But it is a real sound.
ever since i started using tin foil under my hat, i haven't heard a think
i've started wearing tin foil underneath my hat, and no longer hear any humming
THEY HAVE ARRIVED.
1st Place between Court and Smith -- around 11pm
So, many people are hearing this noise and there are a few ideas of where it is coming from, but how do we go about stopping it? If it can be stopped. Any suggestions?
You think that sound is annoying? wait till dredging of the canal starts and/or the city starts constructing massive sewage tanks in the middle of our commnunity..
Oh, someone is obviously still harboring some resentment against the Superfund designation. Give it as rest.
Any noise from dredging and retention basin construction will be announced to the community prior to construction, so that we will know exactly where it will come from and how long it will last. Besides, the work, though it may be noisy for a while, will lead to a cleaner canal.
My experience on the EPA Gowanus Superfund CAG has shown me that the federal agency takes its relationship with the community very seriously. I am sure there will be an ongoing dialog with EPA prior and during the work that needs to be performed.
The noise we have addressed here has been going on for a while and has an unknown source, so we, as a neighborhood, cannot even address it.
Hardly the same thing, in my humble opinion.
I am in San Diego and the vibratory noise started last evening and driving me nuts. Sounds like a large fan or "drilling" My ears are suffering from the pitch.
We hear this often at night, for months. Summit / Hicks. Drives me insane.
I think I heard this sound around 6 am this morning. To me it sounded like helicopters hovering over my building or a very loud motor. It was persistent but I'm not sure how long it lasted since I forced myself back to sleep. I'm at Henry and Sackett.
There was a helicopter hovering around 6am this morning (probably traffic related), so it wasn't the sound that others are talking about.
Not sure if everyone is talking about the same thing, but about once a night i hear what sounds like a nearby vibrating phone. I used to assume it was from the floor above me, but it appears its similar to what others are hearing. It isn't super loud, just enough to trick me into thinking I have a text message.
That's exactly the sound. You describe it well.
I live on Union by Clinton. This summer, the person in the apartment next to mine posted notes on several doors in the building concerning constant "vibrating sounds" that were waking her up in the middle of the night. She was convinced it was due to an Air Conditioner running, and to appease her I removed mine from my bedroom entirely. After repeatedly asking neighbors to remove fans/AC units, she ended up moving out.
I've always been a very deep sleeper and have never had this issue, but had to mention this.
Thanks. It is very strange how so many people in the neighborhood are hearing it, but we cannot pinpoint where it is coming from.
It happened to me just now i guess it still happens. Now im hearing an exhale sound could be the loud AC. But today was the first ive heard the sound it has kept me up for about 20min.
I live in East Meadow and I have been hearing a strange humming noise for years but recently it's been getting louder and it's the loudest in my bedroom. It gets so bad that sometimes i can't fall asleep. It almost sounds like a diesel engine running non stop and gets really loud about 3.ooAM.It's really starting to make me uncomfortable.
This is something happening all over the world. I'm in Warrington UK. Same sound description as you guys. Low frequency late at night. Re awoke 2:30, pitch and frequency much greater, painful to the ears. Checked outside, could hear it. loudest in the bedrooms. strange
I live here in an apartment in Boston and I hear the same thing. A buzzing noise or a humming noise every 8 seconds. it lasts for about 3 or 4 seconds, then stops. 8 seconds later and it buzzes again. Its also only in my bedroom and its maddening. it starts about 9 o'clock at night and goes until about 8 in the morning nonstop. I have taken to sleeping on the couch because once I hear it i fixate it on it. seriously? No one knows what this noise could be?
I now the feeling.
I hear it too, in Minnesota. Evidently, it is heard around the world, but only by some people - who can hear the low-pitched hum/vibration noise.
I determined it was not coming from inside the house, or the freeway which is 30-40 acres away ( I would watch at night for semi's rolling by, but the noise did not correspond, it still happened with zero traffic). Then I spent a week calling the energy company, our local town hall, nearby industrial businesses, until I heard that I'm not the only one hearing it - and it is everywhere in the world. It usually wakes me about 1:30 am CST and sometimes goes until 9:30am. Some nights, if I can't get "unfixated", I have to turn the bedroom TV on low, to drown it out. It is so low, I cannot believe it wakes me out of a sound sleep. It is maddening. Sounds like pulsating vibration/drilling into the center of the earth,, to me. (For me, it's not coming from the air or the sky.)
I just came across this page trying to figure out a buzzing sound as well. It sounded like a vibrating cell phone and would repeat the same pattern over and over: short.long.short. It woke me up around 3am. I ended up putting in ear plugs so I would stop fixating on it. The noise varied in volume as if it was closer and further away. Very strange. I'm in southern CA.
Hi all
Its 01.37 GMT and I have been experiencing a similar low frequency vibration in my house. Its feels almost like someone is boring a tunnel underground. 5-6 seconds of vibration then 5-6 seconds no vibration. This has been going on all evening and now I can't sleep. The strange thing is that I am in England. Could it be connected to the sound you are experiencing or is it just some totally unconnected event. Whatever its most annoying and I want to wake my housemate to see if she hear it too.
Jeremy
Val D, I'm with friends right now in silver bay, MN and last night at about twelve thirty we heard it on the coast of lake superior. Really sent chills down my spine
Also hearing it every night, and I am in Kensington. Nowhere near the water or any superfund dredging. I can only imagine it is maybe a transformer or something of the like, but it is driving me nuts and I don't recall hearing it before.
I'm also hearing that humming now. It's mostly towards the front of my house. It's also foggy out. I notice I hear that hum when the weather is foggy or lightly raining. It's driving me bonkers. I live in NYC specifically in Queens.
March 2018, here.
Maria Cardinale's hum is a fog horn - out in New York Harbor.
In Carroll Gardens for the last few days and nights we've been hearing a close-to-sub-sonic hum that lasts 8 seconds, and begins again after 2 minutes and 16 seconds. Yes! I have timed it. Maybe something coming from an adjoining basement. Wonderful mystery.
I thought it might be a fog horn at first but the weather is perfect.
Wow this thread has been going for a long time.
I am in Central Victoria, Australia and just went outside. It’s almost 11pm and I’m hearing the exact same sounds that you are all explaining. It’s like a phone on vibrate. There will be this humming sound for a few seconds, a few seconds of silence, then another cycle of humming.
It seemed close to me when I walked outside, like it was coming from the garden, then moved away bit by bit when I was investigating what it might be.
I looked everywhere, but couldn’t pin point the location of where it was coming from.
I thought it may of been a frog or something similar, but could be wrong.
I went back inside for a while and when I went back out, the sound was still there.
I am now inside and cannot hear it, even though my front window is open and right near the spot I first heard it.
It’s a very strange noise indeed!
I live outside of Houston, Texas. I heard a sound outside of my bedroom window(I live at the front of the house). I thought it was my neighbors being noisy as usual. They like to run their engine a long time. But it wasn't as loud as a car engine. It sounded like a washing machine on an uneven load or helicopter blades. The a/c shut off on its cycle and the noise suddenly stopped! It's back to perfect silence again. The a/c unit outside has never made that sound before so I'll have to mention it to the head of the household tonight to get it checked out tomorrow. Just as I am about to finish my comment, I hear the a/c unit start up again. Just sounds like the regular sound but not that horrible loud sound I described as before. I did note when the a/c shut off, it stopped very loudly and had a shaky sound to it. Get your a/c guy to come check your a/c unit outside. Ugh, I hear that sound coming through again. Something is definitely wrong with the a/c unit. Sigh.
I live in Indianapolis, IN. I've been hearing/noticing this noise a lot over the past few weeks. Mostly when there is no sound in the house but a ticking clock. I've walked around my townhouse, and hear it best in the middle of the living room. I normally hear it in the afternoon/evening, but it's 2:29 a.m. and I hear it! I typed "low sound that sounds like a phone vibrating" into Google, and here I am. Are we all crazy? Is it a government conspiracy? Will we ever find answers?! *Shrugs shoulders*
October 2020 now, I am in the East Village- this sound woke me up around 6am this morning. It was a lot louder than a cellphone vibration, it sounded like a giant microwave being turned on for 4 seconds at a time, almost pulsing, this lasted about a minute. It almost sounded like a sci fi sound effect and I haven’t heard anything like it in my life. Anyone else experiencing this currently ?
I am in portland Oregon USA and im hearing exactly what you all are describing... cell phone on vibrate in the wall, a deisal or semi truck running, a washer that's off-center on spin cycle, a Jack hammer or other construction going on and on and on.... Etc
I even tried the best earplugs money can buy but the hum/vibrate is at a vibration that busts its way right through my earplugs. It is so bad in my bedroom at night that I'm becoming seriously sleep deprived. No one else in my building hears it. The only thing I have found that will block it out so I can sleep is putting in my Bluetooth earbuds and listening to sleep meditations all Night. The humming, buzzing, vibrating noise will stop for a bit every once in awhile for a few minutes and when it does It's like my whole body relaxes and says, " ahhhhhhh!!!!", "peace.", and then it starts again. Ugggggg!
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