As is typical for March, the Valley has seen just about any type of weather.

The region has experienced snow, rain, severe weather, record warmth, and hail. We also heard tornado sirens as part of Ohio’s statewide tornado drill.

Through all the types of weather seen, unexpected astronomical phenomena might not have been something you were thinking of checking off the bingo board.

Around 9 AM on Tuesday, millions of folks across the Northeast and Midwest got to witness a meteor falling through the sky.

While meteors are very common, occurring roughly 10 times per hour across the Earth, this specific scenario shocked many as it happened during daytime hours, with a bright fireball visible in 13 states.

Viewers on the shores of Lake Erie got to experience the meteor first. It was first seen over Lake Erie north of Lorain, about 50 miles aloft. Over the next few seconds, the meteor traveled at 40,000 miles an hour through Earth's atmosphere and crossed over land west of Cleveland. The 6-foot, 7-ton meteor then progressed through the northern fringe of the state, moving over communities such as Elyria and Lagrange, just west of the Cleveland International Airport.

 

 

Passing over Valley City, north of Medina, the meteor then flamed out about 30 miles above ground level. Fragments (meteorites) have been reported in Medina County.

Because of the space rocks’ trajectory high above our heads, this sight was seen across 13 states. Hit-or-miss snow showers and additional cloud cover scoured the view for some across our viewing area, though we thank some of our viewers for sending in videos and tipping us about the event as it unfolded.

 

 

The meteor was officially confirmed by the National Weather Service office in Cleveland, Ohio, using GLM (Geostationary Lightning Mapper) imagery. GLM imagery is typically used to locate and measure lightning strikes using satellites such as GOES-19, several thousand miles above Earth. Just after 9 AM, it captured a vivid yellow streak, just northwest of Cleveland – matching the location of the meteor, whose brightness registered on the imagery.

 

 

While millions of people were able to see and record the meteor, this was not what would ultimately fall to the ground. There are actually several words to describe space rocks within space, earth, and those that have contacted the ground. Meteors are specifically the light emitted from a meteoroid, which itself is a small asteroid, rocky debris flying through space. Meteors can be designated as fireballs if their light output is brighter than that of the planet Venus. In this case, the light of the meteor was much brighter than Venus- remember, meteors typically aren’t seen during the daytime. When a meteor or a fireball reaches the ground, its debris is known as a meteorite.

 

 

If folks around Cleveland weren’t able to see the meteor, it’s almost a guarantee they were able to hear it. That’s because the following meteor triggered a sonic boom. These sudden bursts of energy are created when an object travels through the air faster than the speed of sound.

 

 

For reference, the meteor traveled at over 40,000 mph- easily higher than how fast sound can go, at 767 mph. Because the object itself is traveling faster than the sound waves it propagates, sound waves on a supersonic meteor will take the shape of a cone, trailing the object, as shown in the image below. The waves are then forced together and merge into a single shockwave, which travels at the speed of sound. As the wave moves down towards the surface, it carries an incredible amount of pressure, with its energy held as a loud, booming noise.

 

 

Interestingly, meteorites are not common in the state of Ohio. There have only been 14 confirmed meteorites found in the Buckeye state, with a dozen of those originating from meteors after 1850. There has not been a meteorite recorded since 1990, when one was recovered in Scioto County, near Portsmouth.