Video captures rare daytime fireball that may be meteorite, officials say
A fireball seen across the South on June 26 might have been a been a meteorite, according to the National Weather Service.
The NWS office in Charleston, South Carolina said in a post on X that there "were many reports of a fireball" and "that the satellite-based lightning detection shows a streak within cloud free sky over the NC/VA border."
The Newton County Sherriff's Office in Georgia said in a Facebook post that they were notified by the NWS that the fireball was likely a meteor. "They believe more could possibly be on the way," the department said.
The American Meteor Society logged 142 witness reports of a fireball in the region Thursday, mainly in northeastern Georgia and western South Carolina, at around 12:21 p.m. ET.
Dashcam footage appears to have caught the astral event, with Kathryn Farr of South Carolina calling it "not something you see everyday" in a post on Facebook sharing the video.
How often are fireballs seen during the day?
The spotting of a fireball in the daytime is a rare event, according to the American Meteor Society.
A meteor must be brighter than approximately magnitude -6 – which is brighter than the planet Venus in the night sky – to be noticed in blue skies and must be even brighter when nearer to the sun.
The society says that experienced observers may see about one fireball bright enough to be spotted in the day for every 200 hours of meteor observing.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Tracking scattered strong storms late Thursday
Scattered strong storms will continue to track across the Mid-Missouri river Valley Thursday evening, posing a risk for damaging winds, heavy rain, and flooding. Rainfall of 1 to 3 inches is possible across the region by the time storms exit late tonight, potentially aggravating existing flooding on some area waterways. A 70% chance of t-storms before midnight Thursday will give way to partly cloudy and dry conditions late, with overnight lows in the 70s. Friday will bring afternoon heat and sunshine with a 10% chance of stray t-storms, highs in the low 90s, and heat indices in the mid to upper 90s. A Severe Thunderstorm Watch has been issued for parts of Northwest Missouri and Northeast Kansas through 9 p.m. Thursday June 26. A Flood Watch has been issued for parts of Northwest Missouri and Northeast Kansas through 3 a.m. Friday June 27.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Update: Damage reported in southeastern Albert Lea
Jun. 26—(Update 5:30 p.m.): Residents in southeastern Albert Lea are cleaning up from the storm that moved through the area Thursday afternoon. Power outages were reported, along with downed trees and branches, and damaged lawn furniture. Numerous branches and trees were reported down on streets including Ethel Avenue, Milo Avenue, 17th Street, Gene Avenue, Clayton Avenue, Margaretha and Larson Avenue. A semitrailer was reported flipped on its side at Albert Lea Public Warehouse No. 2 in the Jobs Industrial Park on Myers Road. The National Weather Service has currently listed the downed trees and powerlines as being from thunderstorm wind damage, though it noted it could be possible tornado damage. The damage was estimated to have occurred at about 1:20 p.m. The Weather Service also logged a report of a tornado at 1:29 p.m. three miles west of Hayward in land that is considered part of Myre-Big Island State Park. (Update 2:20 p.m.): The tornado warning has expired in Freeborn County. (Tornado near Twin Lakes, Video courtesy Noah Nielsen) (Update 1:35 p.m.): A confirmed tornado was located by weather spotters between Hayward and Albert Lea, moving northeast at 25 mph. The National Weather Service advises flying debris will be dangerous to those caught without shelter. People are advised to move to an interior room on the lowest floor of a well-built building away from windows. If you are outdoors, in a mobile home or in a vehicle, move to the closest substantial shelter and protect yourself from flying debris. The tornado is expected to be near Hollandale around 1:50 p.m. Other locations impacted by the tornado include Myre Big Island State Park. The tornado warning is until 2:15 p.m. (Update 1:25 p.m.): Tornado warning sirens are sounding after a reported tornado touchdown near Twin Lakes. (Original story): The National Weather Service has issued a tornado watch for several area counties until 8 p.m. The counties include Steele, Mower and Freeborn counties. A few strong to severe storms are possible in southern Minnesota this afternoon and evening. While strong wind gusts will be the primary threat, a tornado or two cannot be ruled out. At 1:20 p.m., scanner traffic indicated funnel clouds could be seen near milemarker 8 on Interstate 35. The area is also under a flood watch has heavy rainfall over the last several days has led to saturated soils with many low-lying areas and ditches filled with standing water. An additional one to three inches of rain is likely this afternoon and evening. Additional flooding is possible. The flood watch is in effect through late Thursday. Excessive runoff may result in flooding of rivers, creeks, streams and other low-lying and flood-prone locations. Creeks and streams may rise out of their banks, and flooding may occur in poor drainage and urban areas, according to the weather agency.
CNN
an hour ago
- CNN
Fireball flies across the sky and causes sonic boom
A 'daytime fireball' was caught on video in the sky over South Carolina – causing a sonic boom, according to the American Meteor Society. CNN has reached out to emergency management officials in North Carolina and Tennessee, as well as NASA for comment.
