Did you hear that? ‘Loud booms’ rattle Cape Fear neighborhoods

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — Many people in the Cape Fear, especially near the coast, reported hearing loud booms Thursday evening.

The National Weather Service in Wilmington thinks they know what caused the noise.

While there are many theories about the origin of the “mysterious” booms recorded in the area, they can mostly be attributed to military aircraft breaking the sound barrier.

Did you happen to hear any “loud booms” Thursday evening? If you did, in this case it could have been caused by aircraft off the coast breaking the sound barrier. pic.twitter.com/xNLD9Qf42x

— NWS Wilmington NC (@NWSWilmingtonNC) February 28, 2020

NWS says radar observed chaff around the time of the reports indicative of the presence of military aircraft.

Chaff is used military aircraft as a radar countermeasure in training.

According to NWS, other theories of the “loud booms” include methane released from the sea floor, small seismic events, underground cave collapses, etc.

The booms last month were likely something other than aircraft. However, NWS says this event was likely from aircraft breaking the sound barrier.