A mysterious loud boom startled people across Cleveland on Tuesday, leaving many worried and confused. Officials later said the sound was likely "a result of a meteor," according to the National Weather Service.
Some residents immediately feared the sound was an explosion, according to CBS affiliate WOIO. One person told the station that the boom shook their whole house. The sound was heard as far as New York and Pennsylvania, WOIO said.
Meteor captured on video
The NWS office in Pittsburgh shared a video on social media of the meteor arcing across the sky.
The station said the video was taken by an employee. WOIO meteorologist Jeff Tanchak said the boom occurred when the meteor broke the sound barrier but he said it's not clear when the object entered the atmosphere.
Meteor explosion over Lake Erie: American Meteor Society shares details
A meteor exploded Tuesday morning north of Cleveland over Lake Erie.
{{/usCountry}}A meteor exploded Tuesday morning north of Cleveland over Lake Erie.
{{/usCountry}}According to The Washington Post, The American Meteor Society received hundreds reports of a visible meteor from the Eastern Shore of Maryland to Kentucky. It was also seen across Pennsylvania, Illinois, Ohio, Michigan and western New York state. Even though it happened during the day, it was bright enough to be seen for about 5 and a half seconds.
Tens of thousands of people across northern Ohio heard a loud boom and some even felt the ground shake. According to experts, this may have been the meteor’s sonic boom or the sound of it exploding.
A seismometer or earthquake-measuring instrument detected slight ground shaking at 8:56am local time in Lorain County, Ohio. The American Meteor Society is still studying reports to track the meteor’s path.
The GOES East weather satellite also detected a flash at 8:56am local time. At first, it was marked as a lightning strike but there were no thunderstorms in the area. Instead, it was the light produced by the meteor explosion. The satellite is 22,234 miles above the ground.
It’s too early to know the approximate size or trajectory of the meteor, or whether any pieces have reached the ground.