Last week’s Category 4 atmospheric river created an “eerie sound track” on the Golden Gate Bridge, CBS News Bay Area reports. High winds passing through the slats of the bridge’s new handrail generate a humming or whistling sound, which has been “a source of annoyance for San Francisco residents ever since a handrail retrofit, designed to make the span more aerodynamic on gusty days, was put into place.”
A 2021 Golden Gate Bridge District news release has detailed information about the sound problem, as well as the testing and an analysis of an engineering solution approved by the bridge board.