Overview
- The fireball, which NASA says appeared Saturday at 4:40 p.m. CDT over Stagecoach, traveled southeast near 35,000 mph before breaking up about 29 miles above Bammel.
- Early estimates put the meteoroid at roughly three feet across and about a ton in mass, and its disintegration released energy comparable to 26 tons of TNT that produced loud booms.
- NASA reports Doppler radar and satellite data indicate meteorites likely fell over north Houston between Willowbrook and Northgate Crossing, which is consistent with a typical scattered “strewn field.”
- A north Houston resident, Sherrie James, reported a heavy black rock crashed through her roof, and the Ponderosa Fire Department said it appears to be a meteorite, though formal lab confirmation is pending and no injuries were reported.
- The American Meteor Society logged 100‑plus eyewitness reports and multiple videos captured the fireball, and experts note only a small fraction of such objects reach the ground while homeowners’ policies generally cover damage from falling objects.