Flash captured from satellite and sound on video – Just in time

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Saturday, September 18, 2021

On Friday morning September 17, a loud boom was heard over the mountainous region between eastern West Virginia and Virginia. Even the ground was shaking. Initial reports of an earthquake or explosion in Shenandoah County have turned out to be empty.

Subsequently, power outages were reported in Hardy County, WV which allowed the search to be restricted.

The time has been reported ‘around 10:25 am‘, which late in the morning with cloudy skies. It was difficult to see what had happened, but it caught the attention of NASA.

GOES-16 flash density

Then the GOES-16 Satellite Flash Density product displayed a flash zone over Hardy County. Under normal conditions, this would represent lightning. The problem, there were no thunderstorms nearby.

Video (Audio)

My friend Aubrey Urbanowicz is the chief meteorologist at WHSV and has worked diligently on this story from the start.

She’s posted plenty of home videos but this one is my favorite and the most compelling because you can see the dog’s reaction to the loud boom.

Another video from Wardensville Sound Only (Hardy, County)
Video of Janet Cooper pic.twitter.com/3zFmYpR8rd

– Aubrey Urbanowicz (@WHSVaubs) September 17, 2021

Satellite image

Here we can see the location of the flash superimposed on the satellite image. Clouds obstructed the sky, but perhaps improved the acoustics. This is also why many people initially called it thunder.

Flash animation

GOES East Lightning Flash Density GIF from 14:13 UTC to 14:26 UTC. The flash occurs at 2:24 p.m. UTC, which is consistent with the 10:23 a.m. EST reports in the region #wvwx #vawx pic.twitter.com/rXDNRppUt6

– Peter Forister ⚡️🌪⚡️ (@ forecaster25) September 17, 2021

From NASA Meteor Watch

Magnitude of luminosity = -12; Same as a full moon
Energy Between 1 and 2 tons of TNT
Mass = about 50 pounds
Speed = 45,000 mph

“The fragmentation of the object produced a pressure wave recorded by seismometers and infrasound instruments in the area. A very rapid analysis of the infrasound signal indicates an energy of a few tons of TNT, in reasonable agreement with the GLM energy estimate.

Signal from local infrasound station

“Signal from a local infrasound station, caused by the pressure wave produced when the object fragmented.”

Video / Audio: An even stronger boom

Another video (sound) of the great boom heard across the region this morning
Sophie McCauley video in Rileyville pic.twitter.com/YaDoeH2YU0

– Aubrey Urbanowicz (@WHSVaubs) September 17, 2021

Tracking card

Thanks to Mike Hankey of the American Meteor Society, this map shows 11 reports of the event. This helps to triangulate and refine the location and trajectory.