Boom over the Tri-Cities - Jul 2, 2026, 11:55 PM
Friday, July 3, 2026 at 12:26 AM · 2 months ago
The red marker is our best guess at the source; the blue dots are where people were. Triangulated from the 2 directions people drew - each arrow is a line pointing back toward the source, and the marker is where those lines cross. It sharpens as more people report which way it came from, and as we get loudness and exact-timing reports.
Collecting reports
Reports are still coming in. We compare every boom against seismic records, 911 dispatch activity, weather and known local sources. If we can pin down what it was, this is where it will appear.
More reports make this far more likely, especially from different directions.
What it lines up with
Automatic cross-references. Suggestive, not proof.
Columbia Generating Station (powerplant) - about 6.2 km from the estimated origin.
Conditions weren’t especially sound-carrying. (19°C, wind 3 km/h, 0% cloud)
overnight on a weekend.
Waning gibbous (88% lit).
Transformer and substation faults set off both a boom and an outage. See who else nearby is out, and when it is coming back.
isthepowerout.comWhat people reported
Each number matches a dot on the map above.
What do you think it was?
Cast your vote. The data’s nearest match: powerplant - Columbia Generating Station.
Discussion
Saw the same thing? Have a theory or evidence about what it was? Weigh in.