Where will rare cicada 'double brood' be this year? (You'll like the answer)
May 15—A rare cicada phenomenon is expected to emerge this spring with a "double brood" event that hasn't happened in 200 years, according to the Farmers' Almanac.
But don't worry, they won't be annoying you here in Ohio.
Cicadas are large insects known for two things: their buzzing song and their life cycle. Some emerge in the spring, while others come out during the summer.
As soil temperatures rise this spring, two neighboring broods of periodical cicadas in the Midwest — except for Ohio — will emerge around the same time: Brood XIX, which appears every 13 years, and Brood XIII, which emerges every 17 years.
Cicadas usually wait for temperatures to be consistent for about five days before making their way out, according to the almanac.
"Whenever the trees are just about leafed out, that's when the cicadas emerge," said Dr. John Cooley, associate professor in residence at the University of Connecticut, in the almanac.
"The last time that Brood XIX and XIII emerged at the same time was in 1803," the almanac wrote. "However, the last time that 13-year and 17-year periodical cicadas emerged during the same year was in 1998."
Overlap between broods isn't expected, but there is a chance for small patches of wooded areas near Springfield, Illinois to see both broods.
Brood XIII will appear in states like Iowa, Wisconsin and possibly Michigan, while Brood XIX will emerge in states such as Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky and Tennessee.
