Fireball streaks across Southeast sky, satellite detects flash
Satellite-based lightning sensors spotted a streak over Gasbury, VA, after multiple fireball sightings across the Southeast
MACON, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT)- Reports of a bright fireball lighting up the daytime sky poured in from across the Southeast United States on Thursday afternoon.
While details remain unconfirmed, satellite-based lightning detection systems recorded a visible streak in a cloud-free sky over the North Carolina-Virginia border between 12:51 and 12:56 p.m. The streak was centered near Gasbury, Virginia.
The detection did not involve actual lightning, but rather the satellite’s sensors likely captured the brilliant passage of the fireball, which is typically a very bright meteor entering the Earth’s atmosphere. Witnesses across multiple states, including here in Middle Georgia, described seeing a bright flash or streak, sometimes accompanied by a sonic boom.
No damage or ground impact has been reported as of Thursday afternoon.
Authorities and scientific agencies have yet to determine the fireball’s origin or whether any meteorites may have reached the ground.
If you have video, you can send it to 41NBC using this link: https://www.41nbc.com/news/news-tips/
Many reports of a #fireball across the Southeast U.S. It is not certain, but the satellite-based lightning detection shows a streak within cloud free sky over the NC/VA border, over Gasbury, VA. This streak was detected between 12:51 to 12:56 pm. pic.twitter.com/2TeSNLjzI3
— NWS Charleston, SC (@NWSCharlestonSC) June 26, 2025
