CLEVELAND — A powerful sonic boom that shook homes, rattled windows and startled residents across Northeast Ohio on Tuesday morning was almost certainly caused by a meteor entering Earth’s atmosphere, the National Weather Service in Cleveland confirmed.

The loud explosion-like sound occurred shortly before 9 a.m. EDT on March 17, 2026, and was reported from Cleveland and surrounding communities including Akron, Olmsted Falls, Parma and areas extending into parts of Pennsylvania and New York. Witnesses described the noise as a deep, thunderous boom or explosion that felt like it came from directly overhead, with some saying it shook buildings and set off car alarms.

The National Weather Service’s Cleveland office quickly attributed the event to a meteor after analyzing data from NOAA’s Geostationary Lightning Mapper (GLM), which detects bright flashes in the atmosphere — including those from meteors disintegrating at high speeds. GLM imagery around 1301Z (9:01 a.m. EDT) showed a distinct flash consistent with a meteor airburst, officials said.

“It’s a sonic boom from a meteor coming in,” NWS Cleveland meteorologists posted in response to public inquiries on social media. “We have not heard of anything exploding on the ground.”

Brian Mitchell, observing program leader at NWS Cleveland, told local media that satellite data pointed clearly to an atmospheric entry event. “The imagery suggests a meteor hit the atmosphere and caused the boom we all heard and felt,” he said.

Multiple news outlets, including Cleveland 19, WKYC (News 5 Cleveland) and the Akron Beacon Journal, reported the phenomenon, with many residents sharing videos and photos captured by security cameras, doorbell devices and dash cams. One viewer-submitted image to News 5 showed a bright streak of light against the morning sky, consistent with a daylight fireball.

In Olmsted Falls, school district officials posted footage from a bus garage camera capturing the meteor’s brief but brilliant flash. “CAUGHT ON CAMERA: Tens of thousands of people heard and felt an explosion all over Northeast Ohio,” Cleveland 19 reported, highlighting the widespread nature of the sighting.

The American Meteor Society (AMS) and NASA fireball reporting networks often receive hundreds of submissions for such events, though no formal AMS confirmation for this specific incident was immediately available Tuesday afternoon. Experts note that meteors traveling faster than the speed of sound — typically those entering at 25,000 to 160,000 mph — can produce sonic booms when they decelerate abruptly in the denser lower atmosphere, fragmenting in an airburst.

Daylight meteors are rarer than nighttime ones because the bright sky makes them harder to spot, but when they occur, the accompanying sound can be dramatic. The event drew comparisons to previous Ohio fireballs, including a March 14-15 doorbell camera capture in Pickerington of a bright meteor accompanied by a sonic boom, and earlier 2026 sightings over Lake Erie and other regions.

No injuries or property damage were reported from the boom itself. Authorities in Cleveland, Akron and surrounding counties fielded numerous 911 calls initially suspecting explosions, gas leaks or aircraft incidents. Fire departments in at least six communities dispatched units to investigate possible house explosions, but all reports proved unfounded.

“People were understandably alarmed,” one Cleveland resident told FOX 8 News. “It sounded like something hit the roof or a bomb went off nearby. My dog went crazy.”

Social media erupted with posts under hashtags like #Boomnow, #meteor and #Cleveland, with users sharing their experiences. “I thought it was thunder but way louder and no storm,” one person wrote on Instagram. Another added, “Windows rattled like an earthquake — then nothing.”

Meteor experts explained that the object likely fragmented high above Northeast Ohio, producing the widespread acoustic shockwave without significant ground impact. Most meteors burn up completely, scattering tiny meteorites over wide areas or none at all if small enough.

The timing — a clear Tuesday morning with good visibility — allowed many to witness the flash even in daylight. Reports indicated the meteor appeared as a brief, intense white or bluish streak, possibly with a tail, before the boom arrived seconds later as the sound traveled from the disintegration point.

Local astronomers and the Cleveland Astronomical Society encouraged residents with footage to submit it to the AMS for detailed trajectory analysis. Such data helps scientists understand meteoroid sizes, speeds and origins — often from asteroid belt fragments or cometary debris.

This event underscores the frequency of near-Earth objects entering the atmosphere. NASA estimates millions of small meteors impact daily, though few produce audible booms or daylight visibility. Larger fireballs like this one occur several times per year across the globe.

As investigations continue, officials urged calm and reminded residents that such natural phenomena, while startling, pose minimal risk. No follow-up sonic activity was reported into the afternoon.

For those who missed the spectacle, security camera owners were encouraged to review footage from around 8:55-9:05 a.m. EDT. Additional sightings could refine the meteor’s path and entry point, potentially over Lake Erie or northern Ohio farmland.

The cosmic visitor provided a rare moment of wonder amid everyday routines, reminding Northeast Ohioans of the dynamic universe just overhead.