Public officials, scientists unsure of cause
Mysterious loud booms have beset Hopkins County, and citizens are unsure about the cause.
The first loud boom occurred on November 22, 2019. Some citizens seemed to believe this boom emanated from Hunt County Sheriff’s office bomb squad defusing a bomb, which could reportedly be heard from several counties.
Others believed it was the detonation of dynamite, while others believed it was a sonic boom from an overhead jet breaking the sound barrier, according to postings on the Facebook group Hopkins County Scanner. Reports of the boom ranged from as far south as Yantis to as far north as Arbala.
A second set of loud noises began on February 3, 2020. One resident of North Hopkins reported an explosion-like sensation.
Then again on March 8, 2020, Hopkins County residents reported explosions. Citizens in both Sulphur Springs and in the area of Cumby and Commerce reported large booms, according to Facebook.
“House shook, large explosion,” wrote citizen Jo Duhaime, stating she believed it to be a meteor. “Photos of the smoke trail make it look like it may have been basketball size.”
According to the American Meteor Society, there are no listings for meteor sightings in Texas for February or March 2020. Furthermore, AMS states, of over 50,000 meteor sightings, only one produced a delayed sonic boom.
“I would tend to believe these multiple events reported are caused by military aircraft,” said Robert Lunsford of AMS.
Hopkins County Sheriff Lewis Tatum agrees, saying he would speculate “it’s a sonic boom from jets.”
Representatives from L3-Harris could not confirm or deny that loud booms were coming from the company, but stated, “L3 Harris refurbishes aircraft and does not manufacture bombs.”
According to the National Weather Service, there have been no weather-related events that would cause loud booms in the Hopkins County area.
Whatever is causing the mystery of the booms, it has only piqued the curiosity of Hopkins County residents.