Possible meteorite crashes into Houston area home, officials say

A possible meteorite crashed into a Houston area house on Saturday night, tearing through the roof and two stories of the home, officials said. 

Ponderosa Fire Chief Fred Windisch told CBS News that what “appears to be a meteorite” crashed through a woman’s house, landing in the kitchen. Windisch said the meteorite was a little bigger than his hand. Ponderosa Forest is a suburb in north Houston. 

NASA said in a social media post that the meteor became visible at 49 miles above Stagecoach, northwest of Houston, at 4:40 p.m. local time. The meteor moved southeast at 35,000 miles per hour, breaking apart 29 miles above Bammel, just west of Cypress Station, NASA said. 

“The fragmentation of the meteor – which weighed about a ton with a diameter of 3 feet – created a pressure wave that caused booms heard by some in the area,” NASA said in the post.

Across the Houston area, residents described hearing a low, rumbling sound that many compared to thunder, even though the skies were clear, according to CBS affiliate KHOU.

Earlier this week, an asteroid weighing about 7 tons and traveling at 45,000 mph traveled over multiple states. 

And last June, a bright meteor was seen across the southeastern U.S. and exploded over Georgia, creating similar booms heard by residents in the area.