The loud boom and bright light many heard and saw across Grays Harbor County Wednesday evening has social media buzzing with theories, but as of yet no definitive explanation for the phenomenon has been given.
“We were parked by the river at the draw bridge in Hoquiam having dinner at about 7:15 p.m. when we saw a bright light, pulsating bluish light light up the entire sky behind the hill,” commented Pamela Isdell-Fox on a The Daily World Facebook post about the event. “It was beautiful. We didn’t hear it break the sound barrier.”
The light and noise was reported from Oregon to Vancouver Island and as far inland as the I-5 corridor, but the effect was greater the closer to the coast you were.
“I live in Westport and our entire apartment building shook. Not just a small shaking,” commented Michele Stephenson. “It happened so fast. We heard this very loud explosion and within a second the entire apartment was shaking.” She and a neighbor immediately ran outside to see what was happening and there was nothing. She said the apartment building shook so hard she initially thought it was an earthquake.
Stephanie Morton of Ocean Shores said, “All I know is it was loud. Scared the dog and rattled the windows. The whole house shook.” She went outside and heard a lot of dogs barking but didn’t see a flash or anything out of the ordinary.
Ocean Shores Police Chief Neccie Logan said her department received at least 20 911 calls reporting the light and explosion. “From what I understand there were over 100 across the county, that’s what I’m being told,” she said.
The timing of the event depends upon the source. Seattle media outlets put it closer to 8 p.m., but the majority of observers in the county place it closer to 7:10 to 7:15 p.m. The duration of the light was very brief, but some claimed the rumbling lasted for several minutes. Some described the light as blue, some more green.
Chuck Wallace with Grays Harbor County Emergency Management immediately contacted the state Department of Emergency Management to determine the source of the noise and light. There was no indication that there was an earthquake, and theories of a military exercise could not be confirmed with the Federal Aviation Administration and Western Air Defense Sector denied any such activity. There were also no reports of explosions or crashes on the ground.
The impact of the event was much lighter in Pacific County. Scott McDougall with Pacific County Emergency Management Agency said he only received two phone calls about the flash and boom. He checked in with the 911 call center and they had received no phone calls regarding the event.
The theory that seems to be most popular is the phenomenon was caused by a “bolide,” which is a meteor that falls near enough you can hear it break the sound barrier. Walter Kelley, Q13 FOX meteorologist, went so far as to ask anyone who was near it to “go look for it … and bring me a piece, please!”
Another popular theory on social media is it was caused by the Chinese satellite Tiangong-1 entering the atmosphere. Just days before the light and boom were reported, British publications wrote that China had lost control of the 8.5-ton satellite and it would be crashing to earth within two weeks. However, all indications are the satellite is still outside the earth’s atmosphere, and the Pacific Northwest is not along the path the satellite is expected to take as it descends.
