Residents across Massachusetts and Rhode Island reported a powerful boom Saturday afternoon, with one meteorologist saying satellite data suggested a bolide or meteor may have entered the atmosphere east of Boston.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
A sudden boom heard and felt across parts of Massachusetts and Rhode Island on Saturday afternoon prompted alarm among residents, triggered numerous 911 calls and led to early speculation that the noise may have been caused by a meteor entering the atmosphere.
The unexplained sound was reported shortly after 2 p.m., with residents in multiple communities describing a force strong enough to shake homes. WCVB reported that viewers across Massachusetts contacted the station after hearing what many initially believed was a nearby explosion, a fallen tree or a blown transformer.
Some residents said the noise was unusually intense and appeared to be felt across a wide area.
” … the whole house, actually all houses in the neighborhood shook. Much louder than a transformer exploding and definitely not an earthquake,” one viewer from Melrose wrote.
Another viewer from Wellesley also reported hearing what sounded like an explosion.
“We live in Wellesley and just heard what sounded like an explosion about 10 minutes ago. We understand it was felt over many areas,” the viewer wrote.
The sound was also captured on a dashcam by a Cambridge resident, according to a post showing the recording.
Meteorologist Nick Stewart said the event appeared consistent with a bolide or meteor entering the atmosphere, citing satellite-detected flash data that did not appear connected to active thunderstorms.
“Reports of an explosion hears around Boston I believe are going to be a rather significant bolide/meteor entering the atmosphere. Very large “flash” detected by GOES-19 GLM that does not correlate with active thunderstorms,” Stewart said.
Stewart said the flash appeared east of Boston and stood out in a way that supported the meteor explanation.
“The flash density product really shows this anomalous “flash” which is pretty distinctive of a bolide/meteor reentry. east of Boston. This is the likely source of the loud boom/explosion,” he said in a follow-up post.
The incident left residents seeking answers after the sound was reported across numerous communities in the region. As of the initial reports, the cause had not been officially confirmed.