A Sudden Sky Boom Turns Out to Be a Meteor

In the early morning of Tuesday, residents in parts of Pennsylvania and Ohio heard a sharp boom that rattled buildings near Cleveland. The noise felt like a sonic shockwave, and people reported shaking in the Lake Erie area. Video footage shared on social media showed a bright streak cutting across the sky just before 9 a. m. , hinting that something was falling from space. The National Weather Service’s Cleveland office used its satellite lightning mapper to spot a large flash that matched the timing of the boom. The meteorologist there confirmed that people felt vibrations at his office and in surrounding towns.When asked if the event was a meteor, he answered that satellite evidence made it “our best guess. ” The Pittsburgh office received similar reports of a loud burst and a fireball, and their satellite data also pointed to a possible meteor entering the atmosphere. Local police departments were flooded with calls from citizens wondering what had happened. In Avon, Ohio, the police posted on social media that they were still unsure of the cause, while Cleveland Police received many inquiries but no reports of damage or injuries.