A meteorite and a a loud explosion were reported from south Texas Wednesday by two planes and several residents. Police and Air Traffic Control at the Houston airport received reports that claimed to have seen a meteorite over the cities of Mission and McAllen shortly before 8.30 pm local time (7 am Thursday IST). Weather officials have yet to confirm the sighting.
A police officer from Hidalgo County – in which both cities are located – also could not confirm where the debris had landed or if it had burnt up as it passed through the Earth’s atmosphere.
No damage has been reported so far, the police officer added. Police from the city of Mission said they had asked for support from the Texas Department of Public Safety.
The police chief of Mission – which is located just north of the border with Mexico – Cesar Torres told a local TV channel calls about the meteorite began at 6 pm and the number increased as residents reported a ‘loud.. powerful explosion’.
The police chief of Alton, a town less than 10 km from Mission, said residents there had also reported the blast. “I do know it was widespread. Multiple cities receiving the same call.”
A resident of Mission said on Facebook she felt a ‘rumble or explosion’. “Everyone heard the loud noise and houses shake,” another user wrote. A third said, “So today I heard this loud bang and my house shook. Turned out to be a meteorite.”
The National Weather Service shared an image from the Geostationary Lightning Mapper (GLM). “The image means that there was a flash in the atmosphere that was bright enough for our NOAA satellites to detect at or around 5:23 pm (local time) today”, the NWS said.