A meteorite that, according to NASA estimates, measured about one meter in diameter and weighed around 1,000 kilograms before fragmenting in the atmosphere, left one of its remains going through the roof and two floors of a house in the northwest of Houston on Saturday, March 21, 2026. The impact, confirmed by the American space agency NASA and the Houston Police Department, caused a loud bang perceived in different parts of the city, raising questions about the frequency of these events in urban areas, according to CBS News. Resident Sherrie James, owner of the affected house in Harris County, told the local media KHOU that the surprise was great when she observed a hole in the roof and found a heavy rock in her kitchen. Initially, emergency teams thought it was an object detached from an airplane, but then the Ponderosa Fire Department and NASA itself confirmed the meteoric origin of the fragment, which exhibited a density and appearance foreign to any conventional rock. The meteor became visible at 4:40 PM local time, 79 kilometers above Stagecoach, northwest of Houston, and moved southeast at an estimated speed of 56,000 kilometers per hour, according to the space agency in a statement released by CBS News.
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The object fragmented at an altitude of 47 kilometers above Bammel, generating a pressure wave that triggered sonic booms recorded in locations such as Willowbrook and Northgate Crossing in Texas, as indicated by NASA on its official profile on the X platform.The shock wave generated by the meteorite’s fragmentation was heard by numerous Houston residents
The propagation of the shock wave caused a thunder-like noise, although the sky remained clear. Witnesses in different areas —such as resident Wendy Camardelle Heppner in Bridgeland and Shylie Troquille in Dickinson— told KHOU that they heard “a thunder-like sound” and observed “a small ball of fire that quickly disappeared.” Another neighbor, according to the Brenham Fire Department, reported “a green flash” and “black smoke” before the loud explosion. CBS News included statements from Ponderosa Fire Chief Fred Windisch, who specified that the fragment found was “a little bigger than a hand” and attributed the loud noise to the pressure wave caused by the disintegration of the meteor in the atmosphere. No explosive remains or evidence of a terrestrial accident were detected, reported the fire crews.The impact on Houston comes in weeks of unusual meteorological activity in the United States
The incident recorded in Houston is part of a sequence of similar episodes in the last year. Days earlier, an asteroid of 2 meters and 6,000 kilograms, traveling at 72,000 kilometers per hour, crossed several states in the north-central part of the country and produced a “sonic boom” phenomenon that was felt as far away as Pennsylvania, according to The Guardian. A striking event occurred in August 2025, when a small meteorite, “no bigger than a cherry tomato,” pierced the structure of a house in Atlanta. As reported by The Guardian, the analysis confirmed that the fragment was 4.560 billion years old.The possibility and impact of meteorite fragments on urban areas
The fall of a large meteorite in a densely populated area is rare, but the succession of recent events highlights the need for monitoring and dissemination.You can also read:A meteorite older than 45,000 million years falls in Italy
Sherrie James’ Houston residence suffered structural damage, with no injuries reported. James stated to Fox 26 Houston: “I saw the hole in the roof, the impact on the ground, so it had to come with force to go through the whole house.” Both NASA and local authorities continue to analyze the recovered remains and monitor the trajectory of similar fragments in near space, with the purpose of anticipating future events and mitigating their impact on urban life.
