Photo by voteprime.

Were you awakened by loud, booming noises which started at about 6 a.m. this morning and resonated throughout the District? Your editor-in-chief slept right through them over here at DCist HQ, but most of the city wasn’t as fortunate.

“What in high heaven was all the booming noise this morning?” wrote one DCist tipster. “I live in Dupont, and it sounded like it was coming from Virginia. (Figures.)” Twitter user katiebeck1 similarly wondered if someone was “setting off fireworks in NW this morning.” Erik Weber, a contributor at Greater Greater Washington, reported hearing “intermittent blasting…somewhere in DC.” Geoff Hatchard (who you likely know as IMGoph), said that it sounded like “pile driving.” And the sound bounced all over the District, from Foggy Bottom to Near Southwest to McLean Gardens. DCist senior editor Amanda Mattos said that she’s now heard the same thing twice now.

So what in blazes was creating the noise? Well, whatever it is, no one we contacted this morning in the District government seemed to know — at least not immediately. The city’s Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs, who handles construction permitting, stated on its Twitter account that the agency was “aware of multiple reports of loud noises from 6:30-7:45 am.,” but that they were “not aware of source of the noise.” When this editor called 311 to inquire for more information, I was shuffled off to the Department of Transportation, who then shuffled me off to another city employee who said she’d look into the complaints and get back to me if there was any additional information to be had. (She did note that there shouldn’t be any construction going on that would make that kind of noise so early in the morning — indeed, construction isn’t supposed to begin in the District until 7 a.m. on weekdays.)

So, the mystery persists. If we can actually figure out the source of the noise, we’ll be the first to pass it along. Stay tuned!