7-ton asteroid: Meteor spotted across much of U.S. broke apart over Greater Cleveland
By Peter Krouse
Published on March 17, 2026.
A meteor that reportedly crashed through the atmosphere over Greater Cleveland, Ohio, registered a boom felt from one end of Northeast Ohio to the other. The National Weather Service initially reported the explosion of a 7-ton asteroid, which was seen about 50 miles above Lake Erie off Lorain and traveled about 34 miles across the upper atmosphere before breaking apart over Valley City in Medina County. The asteroid unleashed an energy of 250 tons of TNT when it fragmented, leading to the public's loudest booms and explosive noises. The fireball was seen across several states, including Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan, New York, Ohio and Virginia.
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