I think a turbofan drowning out the noise of an approaching storm has something to do with how close each noise source is to you. Move the storm closer to you than the turbo fan and you may notice the storm drowning out the jet noise. The noises from TWA 800 were equidistant from anyone who heard them. Like the noise from each instrument of your son's orchestra.
On a side note, I'm sure if I could play tapes of my junior high band concerts I could prove that the sound of large, burping explosions are clearly audible above the "music" around them. I played the trumpet but had nothing in common with Chuck Mangioni.