Loud Boom Heard by New Yorkers in Early Morning is Result of rare Natural Phenomenon

By: Yaker Biegeleisen

Many New Yorkers were startled awake around 6:00 a.m. this morning to the sound of a loud boom, similar to that of an explosion. 911 even received an influx of calls from frightened citizens, as the loud blast shook building and set off car alarms across the area. 

Thankfully, it was not of the man-made variety, but a natural phenomenon called “thermal inversion.” 

In general, when we have cloudy conditions, sound remains more easily trapped, and we are more likely to hear the sound of trains or airplanes. We call this a “low ceiling.” 

Thermal inversion is when there is a layer of warm moisture on top of a layer of cool air, which further serves as a “sealant” to loud sounds. Meteorologists believe it was a bolt of lightning that hit 1 World Trade Center in Lower Manhattan which was the source of the sound, which rippled its way throughout the area and into our neighborhood.  

Yaker Biegeleisen is Boropark24’s weather and nature reporter