Things that go hum in the night

The local newspaper of Akureyri, Akureyri Vikublað, reported last spring that a strange low frequency sound has been keeping people awake at night. Following the article, plenty of people contacted the paper saying that they, too, had heard the sound. 

"I'm so glad to have read this article, I thought I was going mad or that my imagination had run wild," said a local in a comment on the Víkurfréttir website in May. 

Now it seems that the sound is, yet again, driving people up the wall. A woman contacted the paper yesterday saying that a deep and bizarre sound, like a distant hum, had been disturbing her night's sleep lately. 

Several people believe their homes are haunted but the government health office in north Iceland comes to more logical conclusions. In an interview with Víkurfréttir, health officer Alfreð Schiöth explains,"It's not an uncommon occurence but obviously rather mysterious. It could be a low frequency sound that's carried a long way. During the daytime when people are busy noone can hear it but at night when everything is quiet, it would become more noticable. 

One theory is that the sound is emitted from the air conditioning system of the Vaðlaheiði tunnel but nothing has been proved in the matter. One reader of Víkurfréttir describes the sound as particularly annoying. "It sounds like its coming from the north. I hope that something can be done about this soon as I can't sleep with the windows open anymore."