HOUSTON: A bright daytime fireball and powerful sonic boom over the Houston metropolitan area late Saturday afternoon have been confirmed as a meteor event, according to the American Meteor Society (AMS) and multiple eyewitness reports. The meteor exploded over the northern Houston metro at 4:39 p.m. CDT, sending a shock wave that rattled homes and drew hundreds of reports from across Southeast Texas.
This is NOT like Red Oak, Texas. The Red Oak object was silent, nighttime, zigzagging, and had zero satellite confirmation. This Houston event checks every box a real meteor airburst checks — daytime, sonic boom rattling houses, straight trajectory, satellite flash detection, and reports spanning hundreds of square miles.
Timeline and what residents experienced
The event occurred at 4:39 p.m. CDT (21:39 UTC) on Saturday, March 21, 2026, under clear skies across the Houston area. Residents from League City, Katy, Cy‑Fair, Hockley, Richmond, Dickinson and many other communities reported a brief but extremely bright fireball followed by a single loud boom and a low rumble lasting several seconds.
Many witnesses initially thought they were hearing thunder or an explosion, only to realize there were no storms or clouds in the sky. Some described windows rattling and homes vibrating, particularly in western and northern suburbs where the shock wave was strongest.
American Meteor Society confirmation and trajectory
The American Meteor Society has now logged the event as a Texas fireball and compiled more than 100 eyewitness reports and videos from the Houston region and surrounding areas. Based on those reports, the AMS released a preliminary trajectory showing the meteor traveling generally from south to north and terminating over the northern Houston metropolitan area…