What was that mystery boom? Did you hear and feel a loud boom today? Mysterious booms is a phenomenon that has been heard and reported for centuries.
These loud booming noises or explosions rattle windows, houses and even shake people when they occur. And most of the time the origin of the rumbling sound remains unexplained.
In recent years, the phenomenon has been increasingly covered in the media, although these booming noises have been reported throughout history and around the world.
For example, the “Seneca guns” are loud booms that rattle residents for decades along North Carolina’s Outer Banks as well as around New York’s Catskill Mountains near the vicinity of Lake Seneca. Elsewhere around the world, Greenland has its deep, foghorn-like noises called “Ton der Dove-Bai,” the Bay of Bengal has its “Bansal guns”, Shikoku, Japan has booms known as “yan”, in Italy they are called “bronditi” and the Belgium’s thunderous phenomenon is called mistpouffers.
What causes the mystery booms?
The origin of the loud rumbling noises remain enigmatic almost all of the time. Skyquakes may have different origins:
- In coastal regions, large waves crashing on the beach or cliffs can create loud bangs. It seems that reports of thunderous sounds are apparently common among big-wave surfers in the US.
- Other people report mysterious booms accompanying tsunamis – sometimes alongside mysterious fire balls. This may indicate that both comes from a belch of methane erupting from “clathrate” crystals on the ocean floor. Imagine if that ignites somehow…
- Sand dunes can produce a variety of low-level whispering, whistling, singing, humming, or squeaking sounds, and less commonly, loud booming sounds.
- Earthquakes are known to produce booming sound and rumbling. Although sounds of deep earthquakes are too low for human hearing, shallow jolts transmit audible noises of the cracking crust.
- Sonic booms: Army jets and meteor explosions can produce damaging loud booms as the pass the speed of sound or explode through the atmosphere.
- Thunder
- Military exercises
- other man-made origins: gas explosions, fires, tanerite, firearms, shooting, fireworks, parties
Below, you fill find a list of the latest mysterious booms for 2020. If you want to go back in history, we have compiled the longest list of mysterious booms and rumblings from 1930 to 2019.
Mystery Blasts in August 2020
Home-rattling boom in Saranac Lake, New York – Times Union
loud booms coming from Fort Knox – WDRB
Sources of Cambria big bangs – WSILTV
Apocalyptic blast in Beirut, Libanon – Strange Sounds
Explosion in North Korea – Strange Sounds
Loud Booms in April 2020
D.C. Residents Heard A Loud Boom In Northwest Last Night – DCist
Mysterious blast confuses citizens of Jakarta and West Java – N USA Daily
Rare cosmic vent triggers strange happenings with the earth and the weather – Bended Reality
Loud explosion noise on April 9 – Anniston Star
Mysterious Booms North of Houston on April 2 – Texas UFO Sightings
People across Utah are hearing loud booms or explosive noises on April 2 – ABC 4, AR15
Loud Booms caught on video in the USA on April 3 – video 1, video 2
Skyquakes in March 2020
March 28, 2020 – Loud Booms Heard in Riyadh after Ballistic Missiles Intercepted – Tasnim News
March 26, 2020 – Big boom rattles Battle Creek, Michigan during Ft. Custer training exercise – WWMT, MLive
March 24, 2020 – Twin Falls Booms are back in Idaho – KEZJ
March 22, 2020 – Air Force explosive ordnance disposal crew sets off four controlled detonations on Joint Base Charleston in South Carolina – Post Courier
March 20, 2020 – Hi! I was talking With a friend of mine on the phone last night and we decided we heard the same loud bang Friday, March 20, 2020 she lives in Hampshire County. I live in Franklin County I thought it was thunder she thought it was an explosion outside of her door we are not sure what this it was and have not heard anything about it in the news. Not sure if anyone else has heard this but I just found your site wanted to report it thank you. – Email
March 21, 2020 – Hello there my name is Dustin. I live in Martin, Tennessee which is in the north western part of the state. On March 21, 2020 at 10:01am a single loud boom with the approximate pitch of 200 to 150 hz on attack with a fall to around 60 to 40 hz with a 1 second sustain 1 second fall was heard for at least a 12 mile radius. I confirmed with several residents via social media and phone calls that the same noise was heard. The next day on March 22, 2020 at exactly 10:01 am another loud boom of the same description as the March 21st boom is heard. I called both local police and local sheriff to report and to see if the mulitary sent warning of any action it may have taken in our area. They told me no such warning was given. I also notified the local news media outlet to see if they heard anything about the source of the noise, again with no success. – Email
March 18, 2020 – Mysterious booms and rumblings after M5.7 earthquake in Utah – Strange Sounds
March 18, 2020 – The mysterious Bell Island Boom – Mysterious Universe
March 15, 2020 – Mysterious noises rattle residents of Grand Island, NY – WGRZ
March 12, 2020 – Loud booms heard across Baltimore and Harford counties were APG testing – Patch
March 12, 2020 – Earthquake booms after New York’s earthquake – Strange Sounds
March 7, 2020 – Mystery boom in Ellis County, Texas linked to tannerite? – Fox4News
March 6-15, 2020 – Loud booming noises due to training at Fort Carson, Colorado over next week – KOAA
March 5, 2020 – I have a recording of some of the loud booms heard outside my home and my mother’s home from at least 5 pm March 4 2020 and they were still going off about every minute when I left for work on March 5 7:30 am. I reported to the police who said they would check it out but they never contacted us back to let us know what it was. – Email
March 4, 2020 – Loud exploding booms in Miami Valley – WHIO
March 3, 2020 – Fort Knox army training create loud booms – WDRB
March 1, 2020 – Police investigate loud booms in New Holstein – I want the news
Loud Booms February 2020
February 28, 2020 – Hi, I learn a loud boom on February 28 along with 2 of my other neighbors in their houses. We all called the sheriff and they investigated. The Sheriff reported they couldn’t find the source. We have a giant pasture behind our houses and a mountain. Only a few houses as it’s country past our lane. I live in Northwest Arkansas.
There were 2 booms about 2 minutes apart. Sounded like a cannon. Shook our house slightly. Haven’t heard since. – Email
February 28, 2020 – NWS reports loud boom from Myrtle Beach to northern New Hanover County, NC – WMBF News, WWayTV3, WECT
February 27, 2020 – Occurred on Friday, February 27, 2020 in West Orange County, North Carolina near White Cross in mid-afternoon. Humming sound and pulse over a period of 5-7 minutes that shook house. – Email
February 26, 2020 – Residents in Atlantic and Cape May counties, NJ, heard what was described as a loud boom that shook buildings – NJ
February 25, 2020 – Loud explosion booms in Welland, Canada – IHeartRadio
February 25, 2020 – The booms are back in Morristown, Tennessee – Citizen Tribune
February 24, 2020 – Loud noise rattles residents of Tangipahoa Parish, Louisiana – WBRZ
February 22, 2020 – Loud booms rattle North County, California – 10News
February 21, 2020 – Navy drops bomb at Pinecastle Range Complex in the Ocala National Forest, Florida – Click Orlando
February 20, 2020 – Stratford, CT mystery booming sound – CT Post
February 18, 2020 – Mysterious bangs rattle residents around Sumas Mountains, Washington – Abby News
February 16, 2020 – Loud boom rattles residents of Prescott area in northern Arizona. Could be a meteor sonic boom. Youtube, AZ Family
February 15, 2020 – Silo explosion heard across Mexico, N.Y. in Oswego County was caused by a silo explosion – Local Syr
February 13, 2020 – Mystery booms and rumbling in Wuhan, China – Global Times
February 13, 2020 – Shaking and a loud booming noise reported around the Tomaree Peninsula in Australia, but origin remains a mystery – Port Stephen Examiner
February 12, 2020 – Very strong unexplained booms in Windsor, Maine – 92 Moose
February 11, 2020 – Loud explosion boom in Carolina forest – WPDE, WMBF News
February 7-9, 2020 – Chiang mai mystery booms are back – Thai Visa, Youtube
February 7, 2020 – Explosions near Red River Army Depot in Texas – TexArkanaFYI
February 6, 2020 – California loud booming noise rattles Sonora – My Mother Lode
February 2, 2020 – Super loud sound on Super Bowl Sunday in Walton County – WSB TV
Loud Booms January 2020
January 30, 2020 – Explosions, bangs and flashes felt in London, UK – Twitter, Metro
January 30, 2020 – Earthquake noise rattle Texas – Volcano Discovery
January 28, 2020 – Three loud booms reported by residents from Bixby Knolls to Lakewood, California – Long Beach Post
January 27, 2020 – Unexplained loud bangs shake residents of Leeds – Leeds Live
January 25, 2020 – Loud boom and ground shaking rattle West Mobile, Semmes and Grand Bay, Alabama – also reported in Mississippi – WKRG, Youtube video, Youtube video 1
January 24, 2020 – Deadly explosion rocks Houston – Strange Sounds
January 21, 2020 – Explosions in Portage la Prairie, Canada – Portage Online
January 20, 2020 – Earthquake booms as M3.8 quake shakes East Tennessee – Strange Sounds
January 18, 2020 – Loud booming sounds rattle Columbia Couty, Pennsylvania – Facebook
January 17, 2020 – Fros quakes for Quad Cities in Illinois and Iowa – WQAD
January 15, 2020 – San Diego County rocked by explosion-like noise is not from an earthquake – 10News, Newsweek
January 15, 2020 – Very loud mystery booms rock Cape Fear region, North Carolina – WECT
January 14, 2020 – Loud booming sound rattles residents of Rock Springs, South Carolina – WSPA
January 13, 2020 – Residents near Lake Charles area in Texas rumbled by a large boom from Sasol plant fire and explosion. – 973TheDAWG, WWLTV
January 13, 2020 – Unexplained loud boom rocks Richmond, Indiana – KICKS 96
January 12, 2020 – What’s Up With All These Mysterious Booms in Mason City, Iowa? Youtube
January 11, 2020 – Mysterious boom shakes houses and windows across southeast Texas – KHOU, Youtube video
January 8, 2020 – 3 loud booms rattle Jacksonville, Florida – Reddit
January 8, 2020 – Suspicious booming noises heard in Bowling Green, Ohio – Sentinel Tribune
January 5, 2020 – Loud booms in Austin, Texas from the implosion of the old University Towers student housing complex. – Patch
Fort Benning conducts weapons training throughout January 2020 – WTVM
Training Advisory for January 3 through January 17, 2020 at Marine Corps Base Quantico, Virginia – Military
January 2, 2020 – Powerful meteor explosion rattles windows and homes in Saratoga County, New York – News10
For more mystery booms check out the If you want to go back in history, we have compiled the longest list of mysterious booms and rumblings from 1930 to 2019. Please comment and add the loud booming sounds that I have forgotten. Thanks
Western New York are getting hit with the same winter storm as most of the country this weekend. During the heavy snow and hard wind there is an occasional low rumble like thunder but no lightning, not the same as thunder snow which I have seen happen. I don’t know what this noise is and cannot locate a source. Has anyone else experienced this during this recent storm?
I think you are right… It’s the ‘voice’ of the storm… Here’s the sound of hurricane Irma back in 2017…
https://strangesounds.org/2017/09/terrifying-sound-hurricane-irma-video.html
WCVB Newscenter 5 Boston reports that there was a large boom/shaking reported across central Massachusetts & other areas of New England around 10:30am/11:00am on Sunday, October, 10, 2021. Residents reported the sound/shaking as far north as Maine. There are no known earthquakes or military drills that may have caused the activity. It remains a mystery.
Here in Rhode Island the booms have been prominent. Ten years ago at 10 in the morning in June I heard a tremendous ‘boom’ that sounded just like my neighbor’s house had blown off its foundation. Birds were scared and shot out of the trees they were resting in…proof that it was not ‘just me.’ I drove around and saw nothing. I called Sen. Jack Reed’s office to report it, as well as the local police who acknowledged it, but nothing came of it. Later, on the local news, it was reported as a ‘flight of jets from Vermont N.G. who inadvertently broke the sound barrier.’ Bullshit. So, no one knows what it was.
Deep state collapse human trafficking tunnels to hide evidence.
LOS ANGELES, CA 12/30/2020
LOUD BOOMS NIGHTLY:
Occasionally on a construction site when heavy equipment drops metal an empty metal dumpster , the hollow dumpster will echo with a thunderous boom. However, these booms are nightly since June.
Too loud & too often to be empty dumpsters. Im
Vancouver, wa. For the past 3 months various people have been reporting on our emergency pages hearing loud booms. Comments he witnessed in the comments are saying things like “made my chandelier swing” “knocked a picture off my wall” “was it a canon?” We have no explanation to date.
any earthquakes in the area?
for the last couple of weeks, hearing nightly booms in east dallas, white rock lake location… living in dallas, I know what gun shots sound like, these are not like that..
could it be drilling? Or anything going underground?
Mystery boom in SE Michigan, near Ann Arbor on morning of December 22, 2020 @ 8 am. Weather was cloudy, no rain or snow in the area.
Sound started as a low rumble for about 5 seconds and ended with a loud explosion. Sounded like something large and heavy sliding down the roof and dropping onto the deck.
No apparent damage, no reports from others that I’ve been able find. Assuming that it was either a meteor or military plane.
Thank you! Yes most probably a plane going sonic?
https://www.wbrz.com/news/authorities-chase-reports-of-loud-boom-across-tangipahoa-parish/
thanks I will add it to the list right now!
Keep up the great job! Thank you!