Originally posted by zayonara
You knew this was coming. You are so close to Newark, a major international airport. Last night there was a pretty dramatic weather change in the area, that is know to produce inversion layers. It's even more likely in that area of NJ, with its relatively high ground temperatures. Inversions can cause sounds to echo off of air boundary layers, and make sounds appear to travel great distances. It is also entirely possible that they were testing some engines at the airport last night. The screeching sounds, to me, sounded like car tires screeching. Having said that, I was not there, and I don't live there, so I can't say for sure. Good job documenting it.
"Sound
In addition, when an inversion layer is present (for example early in the morning when ground-level air temperatures are cool, and high-level air temperatures are warmer), if a sound or explosion occurs at ground level, the sound wave can get totally reflected from the warmer upper layer (in which the sound travels faster, i.e., the air has lower acoustic refractive index, so the sound can undergo total internal reflection) and return back to ground level; the sound, therefore, travels much farther than normal. This is noticeable in areas around airports, when the sound of aircraft taking off and landing often can be heard at greater distances around dawn than at other times of day."
en.wikipedia.org...(meteorology)
edit on 29-8-2012 by zayonara because: (no reason given)
Where did you get your info on the "dramatic weather change"? Didn't notice anything and I'm in the relative area of the OPs location. The weather was clearing last night and it's very sunny here today for a change.
, Thanks 
