If you missed the news during all the hype of the total solar eclipse, get ready: We are now facing “cicada-geddon” in parts of the U.S. It may seem like we hear about such cicada emergences every few years but, in this case, it’s a rare event: The emergence of two broods of the insects near the same time. These specific broods – XIII and XIX – have not emerged together since 1803, according to Popular Mechanics.

The two broods won’t emerge together again until 2445.

The emergences began on April 8, according to live updates on cicadamania.com, and will continue to slowly grow over the next two months. Scientists estimate more than 1 trillion of the winged insects will emerge from Brood XIII and Brood XIX.

So, whether you love the noisy bugs or hate them, you have options. Here’s where the largest numbers will emerge so you can go there, or avoid the areas for the next couple of months.

Cicadas are noisy, but are they good or bad?

The first thing to remember is that cicadas are not harmful to people, pets, or gardens, according to cicadamania.com. In fact, they can help aerate lawn and add nutrients to the soil (and provide tasty meals for birds, of course).

But they are incredibly loud. The noisiest of the critters is Brevisana brevis, an African cicada, that reaches 106.7 decibels.

A chart from Perdue University says that number of decibels is nearing the “human pain threshold.”

Sounds with similar decibel levels are: Steel mill or auto horn from a distance of 3 feet, riveting machine (110 dB), and live rock music (108 – 114 dB).

The cicadas will stay around for about a month, an average lifespan, although some species live for many years (most of those – 98 percent – do not live until adulthood, according to inaturalist.org).

Where will cicada-geddon occur?

Here are some places where cicadas will be most populous this year:

• Huntsville, Ala., and surrounding areas: The Rocket City will see a large emergence of just one brood, Brood XIX, which has a 13-year underground cycle.
• Birmingham, Ala.: Birmingham will see a smaller patch of the outbreak of Brood XIX.
• Montgomery, Ala.: A wide path of Brood XIX will cross the state just south of central Alabama, from Demopolis, Selma, Montgomery and Auburn.
• Atlanta and Athens, Ga.: The map shows only a few small spots of Brood XIX emergence in northern parts of Georgia, including the Atlanta area and Athens, Ga.
• Jackson, Miss.: The area from Jackson through Meridian to the Alabama state line is the only area of emergence in Mississippi. It is a Brood XIX emergence.
• Chattanooga, Tenn., up to Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg: Brood XIX will make a show in these areas.
• Franklin and Springhill, Tenn.: This will be another spot of heavy coverage from Brood XIX.
• Louisiana and Arkansas: These states will have only patchy spots of emergence of Brood XIX.
• Missouri and Illinois see the most coverage of Brood XIX in the nation.
• Wisconsin and Minnesota see the most coverage of Brood XIII in the nation.

Brood crossover

The people in Illinois will experience the only brood crossover in the nation, with areas of Champagne, Urbana and Bloomington expecting emergences of Broods XIX and XIII at or near the same time.

Where you won’t see as many

The best was to avoid cicada-geddon is to head to the coast. While you likely can’t leave home for a month, you could spend a quiet week or two in these areas:

• Florida: The entire state shows no broods emerging there in 2024.
• New Orleans and coastal Louisiana: Free of cicadas in 2024.
• Southern Georgia: Head south of Atlanta to avoid cicadas.
• Atlantic Coast: The map shows no broods emerging on the eastern coasts of Florida, Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina.
• Gulf Coast: No broods are shown in coastal Mississippi, Alabama, Louisiana and Florida.

No matter where you travel, you can find inns and hotels at Booking.com or check out unique short-terms rentals on Vrbo.com.

If you’d rather visit more than one area during cicada-geddon, you can find RV rentals at RVshare.com.