Explosion-Like Noise Heard Across D.C. Area Was a Sonic Boom, Officials Say

A loud noise that was heard across much of the Washington, D.C., area on Sunday afternoon, including in the suburbs of Virginia and Maryland, was caused by a sonic boom from an authorized Defense Department flight, the Annapolis Office of Emergency Management said.

It was not immediately clear where the flight originated or which branch of the military was operating it. “That is all the information available at this time,” the Annapolis agency said on Twitter.

The Pentagon did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

A little after 3 p.m. on Sunday, people said on social media that they had heard a loud boom in Washington, D.C., and in Maryland and Northern Virginia. Many said the noise sounded like an explosion, and some said the boom was so strong that it shook their homes.

Washington’s Homeland Security and Emergency Management Agency also acknowledged the boom.

“We are aware of reports from communities throughout the National Capital Region of a loud ‘boom’ this afternoon,” the agency said on Twitter. “There is no threat at this time.”