A significant explosion was experienced by millions of individuals in eastern Ohio and western Pennsylvania on Tuesday morning, leading to a surge in 911 calls reporting an explosion resembling an earthquake. The National Weather Service (NWS) in Pittsburgh received reports of a bright flash in the sky accompanied by a loud boom, which they speculated could be a meteor entering the atmosphere.

NWS meteorologist Brian Mitchell mentioned that the meteor likely disintegrated in the atmosphere before reaching the ground, as there were no indications of impact sound. Although the NWS attributed the loud boom in Cleveland to a meteor, the American Meteor Society has not yet commented on the incident.

The Cleveland NWS shared an image from a Geostationary Lightning Mapper showing a green flash over the city, supporting the theory that the boom was caused by a meteor. The instrument detected the meteor’s presence, with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration explaining that Geostationary Lightning Mappers can identify bright meteors similar to lightning flashes.

The administration elaborated that meteors entering the Earth’s atmosphere without a visible source can create anxiety, especially in populated areas. The NWS and meteorologists utilize GLM data to quickly confirm the origin of such events and notify the public.

Observing meteors during daylight is uncommon due to sunlight masking most of them, as noted by the National Geographic. Recent weeks have seen several meteor sightings in Ohio, including one captured on a doorbell camera in mid-February and another on March 15.

Reports indicated that the boom was felt as far as New York and Pennsylvania, with a satellite image showing a lightning strike at 9 am EDT, despite the absence of a thunderstorm, leading experts to attribute the event to the meteor. Videos from the Olmsted Falls bus garage and Pittsburgh NWS captured the meteor streaking across the sky.

NASA defines meteors as fireballs or “shooting stars” resulting from high-speed meteoroids entering the Earth’s atmosphere and burning up. Pittsburgh’s NWS reiterated the reports of a fireball and loud boom in the sky across western Pennsylvania and eastern Ohio, suggesting a possible meteor entering the atmosphere.

Residents reported hearing the loud boom around 9 am EDT on Tuesday morning, sparking interest and discussions about the meteor event.