Series of Loud booms heard in Florida 2 pm and 9 pm 12-9-17

I was not sure where to put this so figured what the heck.

I did not hear the first series of booms because I was on interstate pondering how wonderful it would be to own a flame thrower at that moment.

But I clearly heard the series of booms around 9pm in Pasco county, and the closest I have read to an explanation were that they were sonic booms from military jets.

To give you a little background I grew up in this area, spent 24 years here before joining the military, I then spent the next 17 years as a crew chief and a flight engineer. So sonic booms are things I have heard before I joined the military and after and what I heard Saturday was like no sonic booms I have heard before.

What I heard was a series of loud booms over 2-3 minutes of time with a series of smaller booms rapid fire, I know what you are thinking fireworks I thought that to so I climbed up on my dads roof to get a better look,the sky was crystal clear you could see for miles and I saw nothing but the fireworks were loud enough (rattle the windows loud) it seemed like they were on top of us.

The other odd thing, and this could be atmospheric I guess, the house faces north the sounds seemed to come from the NE, and the Jets that NORAD gave permission to go super sonic to would have been to the west.

That is all I have, I am not saying this is anything wild I honestly have no clue what it is beyond it was not like any sonic boom I have ever heard.


ABC news

Polk County Fire Public Information Officer Scott Wilder says that “they are not responding to any fires in the area” and they do not know where the sound originated from.

Lakeland Police posted on Twitter that “We are aware of the loud boom heard across Polk and parts of Hillsborough County but do not know what caused it. We will share additional info we receive.”

We have reached out to MacDill Airforce base to see if they are conducting any military exercises in the area, but they have not responded yet.

Scott.net

New Port Richey -- Many residents of Pasco County are still wondering: what was that boom they heard Wednesday night?

Officials think it might have been a sonic boom or sound waves, but no one is really sure.

10 news sarasota

But they did learn two F-15 fighters were given permission by NORAD to fly at supersonic speed — in excess of 760 mph — over the Gulf of Mexico.

The jets were not responding to any incident, Canadian Air Force Lt. Marco Chouinard told the Times. There was no way to be sure they caused the noise, he said.

a reply to: Irishhaf


It is also been mentioned here in Citrus County. Up here We still have phosphate mines and other crap that they like to blow off. When I was out fishing last week, Mon., Tues., Wed., Thur., then it got too cold, but I still heard some ground shaking booms when We were at the dog park.

It should be noted that on Mon. and Tues. I saw a Coast Guard plane flying over what would be the Florida Barge Canal area. This runs from the Gulf of Mexico just above Crystal River to about 1/2 way through the State.

If You search the area's newspapers e.g. TheChronicle™ they "think" the noise is associated w/the airplane bombing range out in the Gulf. I don't think I believe their "opinion" as the booms I heard at the dog park where 'earth shaking' and muffled as if it was blowing something UP...

Think warm..

EDIT: So the noise(s) have been getting reported for quite awhile now so just not yesterday.

It also seems to Me that this noise is more easily heard/felt when the weather is colder. During the warmer days it seems the noise isn't as 'deep'..

a reply to: JimNasium


Good information, my dads place is down in Zephyrhills, its been so long since I lived here I had forgotten about the mines.

I wonder if that front helped it echo a bit more down the state?

The more I think about it, mining or even shifting earth caused by the mining, or even just the ground shifting due to lowerd water tables could be the cause coupled with the front rolling through gave it a nice echo chamber.

Or I could be wildly off base, but your thoughts seems much more plausible than super sonic jets.

Maybe some jets were doing exercises in the MacDill aux base restricted airspace and MOA just southeast of Polk county and popped the sound barrier?

Combine cold weather and a large body of water to motate the sound further into FL, and those 2 F-15s in the gulf may very well have been a culprit, too.

I didn't hear it, I live about 15-20 miles north of the Lakeland area, FWIW.

Correct me if I am wrong [I live in the UK] but these boom are apparently not restricted to Florida, they are being heard the World over, including the UK. As for myself, I haven't heard any.

a reply to: Irishhaf

Interesting! Doesn't seem like two jets could cause what you describe. I have some family in that general area, Zephyrhills - and can ask if they heard anything. Quite curious! We lived in Tampa for some years, too, when the hubby was at MacDill, and I don't recall ever hearing anything like that. Another place we lived, mortar firing for training on the post cold rattle the windows, and that was a good 20-25 miles away. Not something that was heard from MacDill, though!

a reply to: LadyGreenEyes


Something like Mortar fire was the first thing that popped into my head when I heard it, but the direction was wrong (but with a front rolling through, I suppose that does not really matter) and it was a sound I never heard in 24 years living here, and my dad had never heard in 40 years living here.

originally posted by: Irishhaf
a reply to: LadyGreenEyes


Something like Mortar fire was the first thing that popped into my head when I heard it, but the direction was wrong (but with a front rolling through, I suppose that does not really matter) and it was a sound I never heard in 24 years living here, and my dad had never heard in 40 years living here.

Seems unlikely in the extreme in that area, anyway! Mortar fire just doesn't happen there. I'd say you have an unexplained sound incident, to add to the growing number of such things!! Haven't heard back yet from the family I have in that area.

a reply to: Irishhaf

I did not hear the first series of booms because I was on interstate pondering how wonderful it would be to own a flame thrower at that moment.

ROFL
Hood mounted machine guns, with a turret work better.