nightskies

The mystery sound, which only comes at night and sounds like a mechanical scream, is also driving pets crazy.

(The Oregonian)

The sound is out there.

Now if terrified residents in Forest Grove could just find the truth.

The shrill, nocturnal noise, which started keeping people awake in the otherwise quiet Washington County town a few weeks ago, is now making national headlines.

On Sunday, The Washington Post reported on what Dave Nemeyer, fire marshal of Forest Grove Fire and Rescue, called "definitely a horrendous noise." ABC News has also reported on the mystery.

Apparently, the mystery sound, which only comes at night and sounds like a mechanical scream, is also driving pets crazy.

Just listen to it in all of its goose-bumpish glory:

Mystery sound frustrates people in a west Forest Grove neighborhood. Where it could be coming from? #LiveOnK2 @ 11pm pic.twitter.com/p0inj5TBr2 — Chris Liedle (@chrisliedle) February 16, 2016

Freaky.

And the sound keeps revisiting the community, which reportedly lasts anywhere from 10 seconds to several minutes.

A leaky water main? A gas line that's about to blow? A ghost train? The clarion call of Cthulhu?

Fire, police and public works officials told KATU that they're baffled. But the fire department, which has conducted an investigation, said they don't believe it poses a safety risk.

NW Natural said a leaky gas line would sound like a tea kettle and would let off an unmistakable smell. All of the gas lines in the area are underground. There are no nearby railroad tracks.

Tobin Cooley, an audio expert, measured the noise with a sound meter and told KATU that it was a highly unusual case.

"It sounds like some sort of pressurized gas or air through a fitting or valve or something," he said. "It's not steady state, and you can't predict when it's going to happen. Those are all interesting sound features."

Of course, this isn't the first time eery sounds have visited the Portland area.

The last time people reported hearing a sound that made them want to pack up and head for the hills, there was a perfectly good explanation behind it.

Maybe the Forest Grove sound is an over-the-top promotion for the re-booted "X-Files" series.

Of course, as The Oregonian has reported, Forest Grove's Pacific University is thought to be haunted by several ghosts, including Vera of Knight Hall.

As long as the sonic intruder remains at large and unexplained, Forest Grove has good reason to be freaked out.

-- Joseph Rose

503-221-8029

jrose@oregonian.com

@josephjrose