Small meteorite fragment may have struck Georgia home

A possible meteorite seen streaking across the skies of the southeastern U.S. may have caused minor damage to a home in Georgia, according to meteorologists and local reports. No injuries were reported.

The fireball was observed around 12:30 p.m. ET on Thursday, prompting more than 100 reports to the American Meteor Society. It was visible across several states, including Georgia, Tennessee, and the Carolinas.

The National Weather Service (NWS) office in Greenville-Spartanburg, South Carolina, told WYFF that, based on video footage, the object appeared to be a meteorite.

Keith Stellman, Meteorologist-in-Charge at the NWS office in Atlanta, said it appears that a small piece of the meteorite fell through the roof of a home in Henry County, located roughly 30 miles southeast of Atlanta.

“We are speculating that is the case based on the time it occurred and the result of the hole in the roof,” Stellman said, sharing photos of the reported damage. The images show a small hole in the roof, with visible entry into the interior of the home.

The fireball was seen from multiple cities, including Charlotte, Atlanta, Greenville, and Augusta. The NWS office in Charleston added that while not confirmed, “satellite-based lightning detection shows a streak within cloud-free sky over the NC/VA border, over Gasburg, Virginia.”

According to NASA, while thousands of meteoroids enter Earth’s atmosphere each day, most disintegrate before reaching the ground. Verified cases of meteorites damaging homes or other structures are uncommon, though they have been documented on rare occasions in the United States and around the world.