Mysterious south Texas ‘boom’ sparked by meteorite impact, officials say

MISSION, Texas (CNN) The explosion in the skies over South Texas was a meteorite impact, officials said, clearing confusion over a sudden explosion that puzzled worried residents.

“We believe we have solved the mystery of the loud explosion,” Hidalgo County Sheriff Eddie Guerra said at a news conference on Thursday.

Many residents reported hearing a deafening explosion in the Lower Rio Grande Valley near Mission City on Wednesday afternoon, officials said.

Authorities believe the meteorite hit around 5:28 p.m., causing “a big explosion or rumble in the city,” said Mission Police Chief Cesar Torres.

Two pilots flying near Houston reported seeing an apparent meteorite, Guerra said, referring to a report he received from the FBI.

While meteorite impacts are not uncommon, Guerra wanted to reassure people who were concerned that several objects had been shot down over US airspace in recent days.

“Obviously, given all these incidents, you can imagine what our voters and our citizens were afraid of,” Guerra said.

National Weather Service in Brownsville, Texas said the satellite system designed to measure lightning strikes, a visible meteorite was discovered. There was no storm in the area at the time.

“This can be scary for our residents, and we want to make sure we provide our residents with as much information as possible to help them feel safe here in our local community,” said Rep. Monica de la Cruz, who represents this area.

Earlier this month, US military fighter jets shot down a suspected Chinese reconnaissance balloon over the Atlantic Ocean off the east coast, Defense Department officials said. Many Americans were thrilled when they followed the balloon from Montana to the Carolinas.

A few days later, a US fighter jet shot down another airborne object over Lake Huron, the Pentagon said. This comes after an unidentified object was shot down over northern Canada, one day after the object was shot down in Alaskan airspace by a US F-22.