HOWARD CITY, Mich. (WZZM) -- Several people living near Howard City reported that they felt and heard a loud boom Thursday morning.
WZZM 13 received several messages on our Facebook page from people saying they felt a rumble similar to an earthquake or sonic boom.
"The whole ground was shaking, the house was shaking,” said Sue Eastman of Coral. It was just before 10 a.m. Thursday when she heard the loud boom. As she was trying to figure out what was going on, so were several others.
Christine Rizor of Howard City thought it was an earthquake. "I was sitting in a chair and all the sudden, it was like a big shake. I was like, 'Whoa!'"
Kasey Field, also in Howard City, posted about it on social media. "I had people from all over the lake area. They felt it in Morley and Evart. In Sears, they heard it up there."
According to the National Weather Service and the U.S. Geological Survey, it was not an earthquake.
Some suspect the source is a supersonic jet capable of producing a sonic boom. Such a sound is caused by a jet traveling more quickly than the speed of sound. The change in pressure causes the loud noise.
Several people posted on the WZZM Facebook page that they saw military planes passing through the area.
So far, no military bases in Michigan seem to know where the alleged sonic boom came from. According to the Michigan National Guard, there are no planes fast enough and based in Michigan that can create a sonic boom.
It is possible that a supersonic jet from another state is conducting military exercises in this area.
