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A large meteor streaked across the Midwestern
sky momentarily turning night into day, rattling houses and causing
trees and the ground to shake, authorities said Thursday. There
were no immediate reports of injuries.


      Witnesses say the meteor lit up the sky Wednesday about 10:10
p.m. National Weather Service offices across the Midwest say it was
visible from southwestern Wisconsin and northern Iowa to central
Missouri.


      Radar information suggests the meteor landed in the southwest
corner of Wisconsin, either Grant or Lafayette counties, said
Ashley Sears, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service's
Milwaukee office. Officials in both counties said no one has
reported seeing a meteor or crater.


      Lafayette County Sheriff Scott Pedley said his office received
multiple reports of a very bright light in the sky followed by
houses and the ground shaking.


      "There were reports of four to five minutes of explosions or
rumbling," he said. He couldn't say what the sound was but
speculated it may have been a sonic boom if the meteor broke the
sound barrier.


      Sean Thompson was watching television in his Iowa City, Iowa,
apartment when a bright light caught his eye. He saw the meteor for
about 10 seconds before it disappeared.

      "It was somewhat alarming to me," Thompson said. "I've seen
shooting stars, but I've never seen something jetting across the
sky with flames shooting off it."


      Forecasters say the meteor was part of a meteor shower called
Gamma Virginids, which began April 4. The shower is expected to
last through April 21, with Thursday set to be the second straight
day of peak activity.

      Associated Press Writer Molly Hottle in Des Moines, Iowa,
contributed to this report.

Gallery

Weather and Climate News

A large meteor streaked across the Midwestern
sky last night, rattling houses and causing
trees and the ground to shake.

Soaring meteor lights up skies across the Midwest

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