Lyrid meteor shower thought to be behind loud boom at Lake Tahoe and Sierra

Submitted by Editor on Sun, 04/22/2012 - 9:38am

UPDATE 12:40PM: A large explosion heard after 8 a.m. this morning from the West Slope of California to Lake Tahoe and Reno may have been a sonic boom from a meteor buzzing the region, the Associated Press reports.
The Sacramento Bee quotes a National Weather Service meteorologist who explained meteor showers such as the Lyrid are capable of producing sonic boom sounds like what was experienced today.
The El Dorado County Sheriff's Office told Reno's My News 4 they cannot confirm anything landed in the county, but have noted a number of phone calls regarding the incident. As did South Lake Tahoe dispatch, according to Lake Tahoe News.

The U.S. Geological Survey has not reported any seismological activity. Earth is experiencing the Lyrid meteor shower and the peak of the shower was expected to last through Monday. the Bee and Sacramento's KCRA Channel 3 reports the meteor shower could have continued through this morning.
The Reno-Gazette Journal is doing ongoing reporting of this, with updates on its website and Twitter feed.