Meteor May Have Caused Loud Boom in Cleveland, Says National Weather Service

Around 9 a.m. today, many people across Northeast Ohio heard — and felt — a boom. That may be attributed to a meteor hitting the atmosphere over the region, according to the National Weather Service’s Cleveland office.

Brian Mitchell, an observing program leader with NWS Cleveland, says that satellite imagery suggests a meteor hit the atmosphere and caused the boom. Mitchell says he examined geostationary lightning mapper data, which showed activity around 9 a.m. The office shared the satellite imagery on social media on Tuesday morning.

“We’ve had no actual reports yet that anything hit the ground, so it could have mostly burned up as it entered the atmosphere,” Mitchell says. “I’m sure there’ll be other scientists looking at it, looking at any other data we can find, to see if we can get more answers.”

Reports have spanned as far west as Erie County in Ohio, and throughout the Cleveland area, according to Mitchell. He hasn’t verified any visual reports, but has heard from Northeast Ohioans who saw a flash in the sky.

Sean Misic, the director of transportation for Olmsted Falls City Schools, found a video clip captured on the school's south-facing bus garage, which showed a streak of light across the sky that occurred between 8:56 and 8:57 a.m.

He examined the video feed shortly after hearing a boom and feeling the building shake this morning.

"I never really expected to see any objects in the sky," Misic says.

Jim Lloyd, the superintendent of Olmsted Falls School District, shared the video to X.

A boom like this is uncommon in Northeast Ohio, Mitchell says.

“You do have meteor shows or stuff, but stuff that doesn’t actually reach our lower atmosphere, to do what it did today,” Mitchell says.

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