Residents across Rhode Island, Connecticut, and Massachusetts are reporting hearing a loud boom around 2:15 p.m.
Residents of entire streets said they ran outside, many thinking that a tree had fallen on their home or a home nearby.
Speculation is running wild after many people felt their homes shake, including suggestions of an alien invasion, interception of a missile, earthquake, or the most likely answer, a meteor entering the atmosphere.
Meteorologist Nick Stewart was among those saying the sound was likely from a significant bolide/meteor entering the atmosphere, citing a large flash detected by GOES -19 GLM (Geostationary Lightning Mapper) that does not correlate with active thunderstorms.
“The flash density product really shows this anomalous “flash,” which is pretty distinctive of a bolide/meteor re-entry,” he posted. “East of Boston. This is the likely source of the loud boom/explosion.”
A bolide is a bright meteor that can generate a shockwave as it goes through the atmosphere.
