Why You Hear Planes More Clearly in Illinois During the Winter Months

Have you ever noticed that airplanes sound way louder during the winter in Illinois? It’s not just your imagination, there’s actual science to prove it.

Do Airplanes Sound Louder When It's Cold Outside?

Today I stumbled upon an old Reddit post that definitely peaked my curiosity.

It said;

I live a fair distance from an airport and airplanes always roar loudest during the winter seasons. In the summer I hardly hear planes, but in the winter the sound reaches all the way to my house.

I then saw another person comment with this answer that made me smile;

Sound moves by "wiggling" the thing that it travels through. One particle wiggles the next particle and so on until something feels/hears those wiggles. When air is cold, the density is higher, the particles are closer together.

I may have had a 4.0 grade average in high school, but science was definitely not my strong suit. I know a little about how sound waves move, but I'm pretty sure I've never heard particles referred to as "wiggling", but I like it!

How's about we get a more scientific answer to this winter-specific experience?

Why Do Things Sounds Louder In Cold Weather?

The short answer to why planes sound louder in the winter is this; cold air is denser than warm air so sound travels faster and doesn't get muffled. BUT, the main reason why sounds get louder in winter is all about water...or, more specifically, water vapor.

According to WGN TV, one meteorologist named Brian James explains it like this;

 when the air is really cold, there’s very little room for water vapor (which is why a very cold air mass is also usually a really dry air mass, too) That means, when something makes a sound, the soundwaves can travel farther in the colder air because the higher-density of the cold air allows the soundwaves to travel farther without degrading (or becoming quieter).

The lack of water vapor in the air is one big factor for why things sound louder in the winter, but there are likely more factors at play here too:

• llinois’ flat landscapes, (especially in areas like Rockford or the wide-open fields near O’Hare International Airport), mixed with no leaves on trees and frozen grounds, provide less obstacles for sound waves to hit and get absorbed by.
•  During the winter there's less outdoor activity and fewer natural sounds (like rustling leaves or chirping birds), so our ears pick up on noises that might otherwise blend into the background.

Kind of fascinating, right? Go impress other with this new-found knowledge today! LOL!