A meteor that caused an earthshaking boom over suburban Pittsburgh on New Year’s Day exploded in the atmosphere with an energy blast equivalent to an estimated 30 tons (27,216 kilograms) of TNT, officials said. NASA's Meteor Watch social media site said late Sunday a “reasonable assumption” of the speed of the meteor at about 45,000 mph (72,420 kph) would allow a “ballpark” estimate of its size as about a yard in diameter with a mass close to half a ton (454 kilograms). If not for the cloudy weather, they said, it would have been easily visible in the daytime sky - maybe about 100 times the brightness of the full moon.A nearby infrasound station registered the blast wave from the meteor as it broke apart, enabling the estimates. Meteorologist Shannon Hefferson said the National Weather Service looked at their satellite products that monitor "flash density," and the data showed no storms were around at the time of the reported boom Saturday morning. So Hefferson said the other explanation is that it could have been a meteor explosion, when meteorites enter into the atmosphere.Hefferson said this incident is not unheard of, but it doesn't happen often. The last time she heard of a similar report was back in September 2021 in Hardy County, West Virginia.On social media, reports came in on the noise and rumbling that could be felt from East Huntingdon, Irwin, and Elizabeth Township to as far as Carnegie and Mount Washington.Residents in South Hills and other areas reported hearing a loud noise and feeling their homes shaking and rattling.Allegheny County officials said they had confirmed that there was no seismic activity and no thunder and lightning, and the USGS Earthquake Map showed no reported earthquake activity in the region as of 1:30 p.m. Saturday.