What was that boom? National Weather Service says meteor likely traversed Northeast Ohio

Northeast Ohioans started their St. Patrick's Day with a literal boom.

It was heard around 9 a.m. Tuesday, with many witnesses reporting the sound of a sonic boom and shaking ground from both the east and west sides of Cleveland and its surrounding suburbs.

Early speculation included earthquakes and explosions, but the National Weather Service in Cleveland said imagery suggests that a meteor may have been the cause.

Video posted by the National Weather Service Pittsburgh showed the aerial fireball streaking across the sky.

Ralph Harvey, a planetary professor at Case Western Reserve University, said he heard the meteor, but is jealous of those who had clear enough skies to see it.

“Pretty obviously a meteor, a chunk of rock from space, came flying into the earth's atmosphere. Looks like we've been privileged to see or experience a rare event," Harvey said, adding that it's possible pieces of the meteor may have landed around eastern Medina County. "

Harvey noted that meteors aren't uncommon, but the opportunity for this many people to collectively see one is special.

“What's rare about this one is going right over major metropolitan areas, so that there's plenty of witnesses. It's great fortune to us as a community that we get to experience it," he said.

With much speculation and confusion circulating on social media, many users posted about their experiences. Dr. Jim Lloyd, superintendent of Olmsted Falls City Schools, posted a video he said was captured by the district's bus garage camera.

This story will be updated.