Emerging cicadas’ cacophony triggers calls to police in South Carolina from confused residents [Video]

The emergence of cicadas in South Carolina has caused a disturbance so loud that it prompted uneasy residents to call police for help.

The Newberry County Sheriff’s Office said they had several calls Tuesday about a noise in the air that sounded like “a siren, or a whine or a roar.” 

“The sound is cicadas,” deputies informed residents. On hot, sunny days, the brood’s collective sounds can reach the volume of a lawnmower or motorcycle.

“Cicadas are a superfamily of insects that appear each spring,” the sheriff’s office added. “The nymphs have lived underground for 13-17 years, and now this time they are hatching.”

TRILLIONS OF CICADAS ARE WEEKS AWAY FROM THEIR EMERGENCE

Two groups of cicadas, Brood XIX (13-year cycle) and Brood XIII (17-year cycle), are expected to emerge when ground temperatures reach around 65 degrees. 

Brood XIX can be found from southern Iowa to Georgia and South Carolina, while Brood XIII will …