Wichita Falls Light Poles Seen Vibrating Downtown

I was walking downtown Sunday evening on 8th Street, heading to the convenience store, when I noticed something strange. One of the newly installed light poles was shaking like crazy. I pulled out my phone and recorded it, so you can check out the footage by scrolling to the end of this article.

From the picture below, you can see that the installation of this particular pole has not been completed because the light on top is missing. Apparently, this has everything to do with the shaking.

Eric Ryan/Townsquare Media

Wichita Falls Light Poles Seen Vibrating Downtown

Some sleuths on Facebook deduced that this was because of a phenomenon called vortex shredding. Vortex shedding happens when air or water flows around something solid, like a pole or a bridge, and creates swirling patterns on each side. These swirls, called vortices, make the object shake back and forth.

Normally, the shaking isn’t a big deal, but if the speed of the swirls matches the object’s natural rhythm, kind of like pushing someone on a swing at just the right time, the shaking can get much stronger. This is called resonance, and it can make things like tall chimneys or bridges vibrate so much that they might even get damaged.

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It has been explained to me that once the light is added to the top, the shaking will stop. Makes sense, because none of the completed light poles are shaking from what I can tell.

So, if you want to experience the shaking for yourself, head downtown before they get these rascals finished.

Check out the video below:

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