Description Of 'A Boom, Light-Filled Sky' From Metro Detroiters: Fireball Meteor The Cause
DETROIT (WWJ) - Calls came in from surrounding states as well as area residents with one question: What was the boom or blast heard minutes after 8 p.m.?
Homeland Security ended that speculation when they confirmed a fireball meteor was the source of the mystery in the sky Tuesday night.
Minutes after the eruption -- which was seen across many states in the Midwest -- the possibilities ranged from 'thunder snow' to a meteor.
"Heard a boom and I kind of thought I felt something -- and my dog freaked out," one caller told WWJ.
A post on Facebook shows the meteor cross the sky.
The bright streak of light that flamed out over metro Detroit caught everyone by surprise.
Wolverine Lake Chief of Police John Ellsworth says his phone lit up with calls from residents wondering what had just happened.
"I have to say when I first saw that, the thought crossed my mind that this was going to be the beginning of the end. It was that surreal."
Ellsworth said he not only saw the streak of bright light and heard the boom, he could also feel its impact, much like the force from an electronic jolt.
Explosion From Meteor Causes Magnitude 2.0 Blast
The weather service telling WWJ early on that they were ruling out possibilities and had not concluded the actual cause.
In a text alert to residents: "Ingham County Emergency Management Update: Multiple sources report that a fireball meteor was seen over the county earlier this evening. While many also reported an explosion, there is no indication that anything landed on the ground or cased damage. Most likely it was the boom of the meteor breaking apart. And that there is no need to call 911."
The United States Geological Survey says the explosion caused a magnitude 2.0 blast.
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