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It's been dubbed cicada-geddon and it's an event of a lifetime .
It's also going to be a noisy one for those in the areas where it's expected to occur, and it won't stop in Mississippi until well after these broods have died.
Two groups of periodical cicadas are expected to emerge simultaneously this spring, Brood XIX and XIII. Brood XIX emerges every 13 years and Brood XIII emerges on a 17-year cycle. This will be the first time the two will emerge simultaneously since 1803 and it won't happen again until 2245.
And when it happens, you may want to cover your ears. Their numbers are expected to be in the trillions and the sound will be almost deafening.
"It is certainly fair to say it's the loudest insect sound that you and I are going to hear," said Blake Layton, Mississippi State University Extension entomology specialist . "I don't think there's anything louder we're going to hear than a forest full of them.
"In a heavily-wooded area there will be millions because in the right habitat we can have more than a half million per acre. I've heard of more than a million per acre. It's not a wild guess. It's a scientific measurement."
What makes cicadas so loud?
Aside from sheer numbers, cicadas are loud due to parts of their bodies known as a tymbals.
"It's a special structure the males have that have like a drumhead stretched over it," Layton said. "They resonate air in that hollow chamber and that creates that sound."
The sound, or song, differs among species and serves as a mating call.
"That allows them to maintain their species integrity because the females only respond to the sound of their species," Layton said. "Here in our brood, there are four different species."
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How loud are cicadas?
This graphic and audio file provide an idea of what cicadas sound like and how loud they are.
Where and when periodical cicadas will emerge
Broods XIX and XIII will appear in 17 states: Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Wisconsin and Virginia.
The only overlap of the two is expected to be in parts of Illinois and Iowa.
Layton said a small number of cicadas have already been reported in Mississippi and the event should be in full swing by mid-May in the state.
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Mississippi counties where cicada Brood XIX will emerge
According to MSU , these are the counties where Brood XIX occurs in Mississippi.
- Chickasaw County
- Choctaw County
- Clay County
- Itawamba County
- Jasper County
- Kemper County
- Leake County
- Lee County
- Lowndes County
- Monroe County
- Newton County
- Neshoba County
- Noxubee County
- Oktibeha County
- Pontotoc County
- Scott County
- Winston County
What time of day will cicadas sing in Mississippi?
With four different species in Brood XIX in Mississippi, the insects will perform almost, if not all day.
"Some species sing at different times than others," Layton said. "There will be subtle differences in time of day. It will start shortly after sunrise and they'll sing throughout the day."
At night, there will be other sounds, but not the sound of cicadas.
"They don't sing at night," Layton said. "It won't be the cicadas keeping people up at night."
When will the cicada noise stop?
Layton said the sound of Brood XIX will begin to taper off in early June after mating has taken place, the adults die, and the 13-year cycle starts all over.
However, other cicadas will begin singing, although not in the number of Brood XIX.
Layton said other cicadas will be emerging and begin their songs at that point.
"What comes after that are our annual cicadas," Layton said. "Those are the ones you'll hear singing in the trees the rest of the summer.
"We have about 20 or so different species. They occur every year. They don't necessarily have a 1-year life cycle, but some will emerge every year."
Do you have a story idea? Contact Brian Broom at 601-961-7225 or bbroom@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Cicada hatch 2024: How loud will it be and when will noise stop? Curious Mississippi answers
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