Loud boom heard in multiple Ala. counties - WSFA.com: News Weather and Sports for Montgomery, AL.

Loud boom heard in multiple Ala. counties

Posted: Updated:
By Melynda Sides - email

  • More news

  • Dan Sligh and his wife were in their pickup truck on Interstate 5 heading to a camping trip when a bridge before them disappeared in a "big puff of dust."
    A truck hauling an oversized load struck an overhead bridge girder on the major interstate between Seattle and Canada, sending a section of the span and two vehicles into the Skagit River below. All three occupants suffered...

  • Britain's Ministry of Defense says a Typhoon jet has been launched to investigate an incident involving a civilian aircraft.
    Two men were arrested on suspicion of endangering an aircraft Friday after a U.K. fighter jet was scrambled to divert their plane as it traveled from Pakistan to Britain, officials said. The incident further rattled the U.K....

  • Friday, May 24 2013 10:48 AM EDT2013-05-24 14:48:27 GMT
    Carlenilus Keon Sandifer, Ray Centrel Thomas and Kamaluddeen Raheem Russaw (not pictured) are wanted for questioning in a Dothan firearm assault. Photos courtesy Dothan PD.
    Dothan Police are investigating a firearm assault and they need the public's help in locating the suspects. Details are limited , but authorities say that the incident occurred on the 300 block of East
    Dothan Police are investigating a firearm assault and they need the public's help in locating the suspects. Details are limited , but authorities say that the incident occurred on the 300 block of East
    •   
BIRMINGHAM, AL (WBRC) -

Hundreds of people across the state are saying they heard a loud boom this afternoon, one reportedly powerful enough to shake walls, windows and entire homes.

The reports are coming in from multiple counties, including Bibb, Coosa, Chilton, Limestone, Jefferson, Tuscaloosa, Walker and Shelby.

The Chilton County Sheriff's Office says they have received hundreds of calls reporting the boom. Chief Deputy Shane Mayfield told Fox 6 there are no reports of any explosions on the ground.

"Our best guess is it's a sonic boom of some type," Mayfield said.

The U.S. Geological Survey has no reports of an earthquake in the state.

Fox 6 meteorologist J-P Dice says the loud sound was likely a sonic boom in the Birmingham Military Operating Area.

People on our MyFoxAl Facebook page are chiming in as well, commenting on where they were when they heard the loud boom.

"Felt it and heard the loud boom and the bad shaking here in Woodstock in North Bibb Co.," Gina Whitfield told us on Facebook.

Monica Clayton posted, "My Hubby just got home and we have a hardware store in Clanton on 31, It shook the displays in the store and lifted the celling tiles."

Others are making guesses about the source of the sound.

Our Facebook fan Steve Graves said, "I noticed a jet contrail in a flight pattern not normally used by commercial aircraft.....a very small secondary boom followed the initial boom. This is typical of a plane marginally breaking the sound barrier."

We'll keep you posted on this developing story, so stay tuned to Fox 6 and MyFoxAl.com.

Copyright 2012 WBRC. All rights reserved.