Because I had a sister who had silent Grand Mal seizures, I developed a high sensitivity to changes around my area. I, too, used to know when a phone would be about to ring, but I attributed the ability to a very low volume mechanical 'noise' occurring in those old style phones just before the ring itself. I have lost a lot of the ability since my sister is no longer around and, also, due to, I suppose, aging...
I used to freak out my 2nd ex by being able to tell when someone was coming down the walkway in front of the door before we could hear any footsteps. I also put this down to a highly developed 'sense' for very low volume sounds...
The earthquake bit is something I still retain. Any shaker 3.0 or over I seem to sense just a few seconds before it occurs. This has proven to be a big benefit living here in California, home of big quakes. The Northridge Quake (6.7 on the scale) in particular: I was sound asleep after having spent the night out and about consuming mass quantities of adult beverages; at about 4:30 in the morning, I woke up alert and stone sober and I immediately knew there was a quake coming. I quickly grabbed the pillows and blankets and pulled them over my head as protection. The quake hit a few seconds later and all manner of item rained down on me, including a bookcase that wound up pinning me down on the bed. If I hadn't 'sensed' the approaching quake and been able to cover and brace, I might have been injured more than the slight bit I was...
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