A massive boom that shook northeast Ohio and was reportedly heard as far away as New York was the result of a rare daytime meteor, Pittsburgh’s National Weather Service confirmed.
The fireball streaked across the sky just before 9 a.m., and dramatic video posted online showed the meteor flare up as it entered the atmosphere.
Locals flocked to social media to report that the boom was so powerful that it rattled their houses and even knocked pictures off the walls.
Meteorologist said the boom was the result of the meteor breaking the sound barrier, meaning it was traveling at least 767 mph at the time.
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According to the National Weather Service in Cleveland, “The latest GLM imagery (1301Z) does suggest the boom was the result of a meteor” — referencing the Geostationary Lightning Mapper, which the Weather Service uses to count lightning strikes during a storm.
Motorist James Eaker, whose dashboard camera captured the meteor along with his surprised expletive-laden reaction, said he had just passed Mercer, Pennsylvania, on Route 80 headed toward Ohio when he saw the shooting star careening across the heavens.
“I’ve never seen anything like that on such a bright day,” he told The Post.
The boom was heard across Pennsylvania and even in parts of western New York.
No injuries were reported, and it was not immediately known when the meteor entered the atmosphere or whether it impacted Earth, which is rare, as 90-95% of meteors disintegrate high above the ground, according to researchers.
Ohio’s skies have seen several meteors in recent weeks, including one captured on a doorbell camera around midnight last month. Local media reported another was captured on camera on March 15
