Fiery Streak Across The Sky Sparks Buzz In Southeast From Alabama To North Carolina
A "fiery ball" blazing through the midday sky sent residents across parts of Alabama, Tennessee, Georgia, North Carolina, and South Carolina scrambling for answers on Thursday. The mysterious flaming object turned out to be the result of a bolide, or large meteor, breaking up over the Southeast, creating a fireball.
The first sightings began around noon, with multiple people reporting what looked like falling debris, possibly a meteor or asteroid, hurtling across the sky.
Reports flooded in from cities including Birmingham, Atlanta, Greenville, and Knoxville, all describing a bright, fast-moving object trailing fire or smoke.
According to NASA, this was bolide #681 detected on Earth this year — so not quite as rare of an occurrence as you may think. NOAA's GOES East (GOES-19) satellite captured the event from space.
There was at least one report of possible damage in Henry County, Georgia.
Stay with us as we continue to follow this developing story.
Weather.com lead editor Jenn Jordan explores how weather and climate weave through our daily lives, shape our routines and leave lasting impacts on our communities.
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