If you’ve ever been close to a tornado, you might have heard it. Some people describe it as a freight train, others like a swarm of angry bees. But scientists are now looking at infrasonic sound waves at very low frequencies (1 to 10 Hertz) to see if those sounds can be used to predict the formation of tornadoes before other signs become apparent. It would require the placement of permanent sound sensors, since you don’t want people driving near potential tornadoes to drop off sensors (contrary to what you see in movies like Twister) due to safety issues. While there are a lot of technical problems to overcome, such as contamination of the signals from wind and other sources, it does show promise as a new predictor of tornado formation. You can read more from BBC at https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20231212-the-sound-that-warns-a-tornado-is-coming.

Source: NOAA