Off the Charts: Which is louder, the Blue Angels or your headphones?

This weekend Seattle is celebrating Seafair — and that means the Blue Angels will be flying overhead, sparking the yearly debate about noise pollution. Just how loud are the Blue Angels?

While exact numbers are hard to come by, general estimates from the Seattle Times, South Seattle Emerald, and Seattleites themselves via decibel-measuring smartphone apps, have the Blue Angels around 100 to 110 decibels, with some outlier reports as high as 130 decibels. That puts the F/A-18 Super Hornets in the same general harm category as listening to music with your headphones at max volume — which is to say, bad for your ears.

The Centers for Disease Control states that if you need to raise your voice to be heard at an arm's length, the space is likely at 85 DB or above — a range where long-term exposure could lead to hearing damage.

Where did these numbers come from?

The decibel range listed for the Blue Angels is a composite of available reporting from the Seattle Times, South Seattle Emerald, and independent readings.

The decibel range listed for common elements comes from the Centers for Disease Control, the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders, and the City of Seattle.