{"id":998001,"date":"2026-06-01T09:09:22","date_gmt":"2026-06-01T09:09:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/998001\/"},"modified":"2026-06-01T09:09:22","modified_gmt":"2026-06-01T09:09:22","slug":"east-coast-rocked-by-sonic-boom-as-meteorologist-reveals-cause-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/998001\/","title":{"rendered":"East Coast rocked by sonic boom as meteorologist reveals cause"},"content":{"rendered":"

A sonic boom<\/a> that left people across New England<\/a> looking to the sky was likely a meteor, according to meteorologists.<\/p>\n

Police departments in Massachusetts began receiving calls Saturday afternoon of a loud boom coming from the sky.<\/p>\n

The source of the sound was likely a meteor or a bolide, which is a meteor that explodes in the Earth’s atmosphere, according to NBC 10 meteorologist<\/a> Pamela Gardner.<\/p>\n

\u201cBig explosion\/boom around Boston,\u201d she wrote on X<\/a>. \u201cGLM from GOES 19 shows possible meteor or bolide entering the atmosphere. There is no lightning in this current storm, no earthquake from USGS.\u201d<\/p>\n

WBZ-TV Chief Meteorologist Eric Fisher is also attributing the sound to a meteor.<\/p>\n

\"NOAA<\/p>\n

NOAA satellite imagery showing the moment a meteor exploded in the Earth’s atmosphere near Boston, causing a sonic boom that was reported across New England (NOAA)<\/p>\n

He pointed to satellite data mapping lightning in the atmosphere.<\/p>\n

\u201cBasically, when [a meteor] enters the atmosphere and explodes, it shows up as lightning,” he said in an Instagram<\/a> video explaining the incident. \u201cSo in our lightning mapper … you can see exactly where that came in.\u201d<\/p>\n

Wrentham Police Chief Bill McGrath said the boom was heard throughout New England.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe explosion was heard and felt throughout New England, shaking homes and causing many people to be justifiably concerned,\u201d McGrath said. \u201cWe have no reports of damage or injuries in Wrentham and haven\u2019t heard of any injuries in the region.\u201d<\/p>\n

Some residents said on social media that they felt their homes shake during the rumble.<\/p>\n

The American Meteorological Society explained on its website how meteors cause sonic booms.<\/p>\n

\u201cFriction with Earth’s air causes them to begin vaporizing, leaving a bright streak across our sky. Meteors can zip through the air at 25,000 to 160,000 miles per hour (11 to 72 km per second),\u201d the organization said on its website. \u201cThey can penetrate deeply enough into the atmosphere to produce pressure waves and, thus, sonic booms.\u201d<\/p>\n

It\u2019s not clear if the meteor actually continued down to Earth or if it was completely destroyed in the atmosphere.<\/p>\n

A similar sonic boom was heard on Thursday in the Carolinas, according to WIS<\/a>. The U.S. Geological Survey confirmed it was not an earthquake, but the origin of that boom has not been confirmed as of this report.<\/p>\n