Happy Monday and welcome to another edition of Beyond The Forecast! Last spring, Southwest Virginia saw the return of the 17-year cicadas (Brood IX or “Nine”) and now, Central Virginia could hear those familiar chirps this month.
Let’s start by reminding you what exactly these insects are and why we only see certain broods every 17 years.
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Cicadas do not sting and do not normally bite. They pose no real threat to humans and vegetation, but of course, they can be a little annoying! The loud chirps are produced by male cicadas and act as a mating call.
Sounds of a group of males (or a “chorus”) can be incredibly loud and reach 100 dB!
The cicadas’ adult lives serve as a time for reproduction. Eggs are laid in branches and after six to ten weeks, the nymphs hatch and drop to the soil. They feed on tree roots for 17 years.
The cicadas emerge during the spring of the 17th year when the soil reaches a certain temperature. When they emerge, they shed their skin and the reproduction process begins once again. The adults only live a few weeks and are all dead by summer.
Brood X (”Ten”) is known as “the Great Eastern Brood” and was last seen in 2004. The cicadas are concentrated in a few different regions: Mid-Atlantic states like Virginia, Maryland and Pennsylvania, Midwest states like Indiana and Ohio and also the mountains of Tennessee and North Carolina.
Climate Central reports that Brood X has been emerging earlier and earlier over the past few cycles.
The 10-day average soil temperature is running 1.1° above 2004 and 8 degrees above 1970. Obviously, if the soil temperatures are warmer, then the cicadas know to come out sooner.
Brood X emerged in the Lynchburg area around April 22 in 2004 and we could see the cicadas again around that time or slightly earlier. That means we’re within 10 days of hearing those familiar chirps in the Hill City!
The average emergence date for all broods of cicadas is about 11 days earlier than it was in 1970.
Let us know if you start hearing Brood X later this month! You don’t need to send us any pictures though, these insects creep me out. 😂
Switching gears to your forecast, it feels like spring outside today! We do have some cooler air in our forecast, which will be sent in by Wednesday’s cold front.
Meteorologist Chris Michaels has a look at what you can expect later this week in our daily forecast article.
You can always get specific forecast details for your zone, whether it’s the Roanoke Valley, Southside, the Highlands or elsewhere around Southwest and Central Virginia, anytime at WSLS.com/weather. Know your zone!
In case you missed it, we’re posting great weather and science content on WSLS.com. Here are a few links from the past week to check out:
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-- Justin McKee