Early-morning mystery boom heard in some West Seattle neighborhoods

Just in case you came here looking for information about an explosion-type sound around 2:45 am – this morning we have received several e-mails asking about it, describing it as loud enough to wake them up and scare their pets. So far, checking fire and police logs, we haven’t found anything confirming what it was. Those who say they heard it are in Gatewood, Lincoln Park, and Lowman Beach areas, but at least one person thinks it could have happened some distance away, to the east. We were on watch at that time, and though we’re over south Lincoln Park, we didn’t hear it. So we’re posting this in hopes someone out there might have direct knowledge to solve the mystery.

19 Replies to "Early-morning mystery boom heard in some West Seattle neighborhoods"

  • jissy June 8, 2013 (9:08 am)

    We were just discussing this in our household. We are down near Lowman Beach, I heard a first noise and as I was getting up to look outside, I saw a massive white flash then the VERY loud blast. It’s not uncommon here in the summer months, but often after the blast noise we hear a car roaring off and laughing/reveling but this morning’s was dead silence afterward except for our neighbor’s car alarm sounding off.

    I’m sending my husband out to check around the street to see if he can figure anything out.

    • WSB June 8, 2013 (9:25 am)

      Jissy – if you saw a flash that might have been it. Thanks. It’s why we publish items like this when necessary, even without having a resolution – community collaboration. (It’s been happening here since the 2006 windstorm but now it even has a fancy news-industry name, “crowdsourcing.”) Hope no damage is found … TR

  • Cranky Westie June 8, 2013 (9:13 am)

    Seafair Pirates and the NSA joint operation. Commemorative T-Shirts available.

  • Faith4 June 8, 2013 (9:16 am)

    There was someone going around setting off what sounded like firecrackers – 1 or sets of 3 – 4 from around 10 – 1 last night. They sounded like they were traveling around with them. We are in the Admiral District and this is probably not related but enough it upset our dogs & our sleep. We just thought it would be quiet and they would come back around. They might have been traveling up and down California Ave SW & Alki from the sound of it.

  • WorldCitizen June 8, 2013 (9:32 am)

    Lightning.

    • WSB June 8, 2013 (9:35 am)

      Sorry, WC, none of that in the weather last night …

  • they June 8, 2013 (10:08 am)

    Just happened to be looking at the clock 2:55am
    when it went off. Very loud with a short sizzle noise after the boom. Gatewood…

  • Courtney June 8, 2013 (10:32 am)

    It could have been an electric transformer.

  • westseattledood June 8, 2013 (11:44 am)

    Woke me up near westcrest at 2:54. Assumed it was lapsed judgement of celebrating graduates with fireworks.

  • Skimmer June 8, 2013 (11:51 am)

    We live near Lowman Park and awoke to the boom at 2:45 am. I heard a loud car with a bad muffler racing away a few minutes later. Suspected fireworks…

  • jissy June 8, 2013 (1:26 pm)

    Husband didn’t see/find anything… our neighbors have cameras so going to check in with them and see if they know/saw anything. My husband thinks maybe someone let off a very large firecracker (think M-100) over the water, thus the extreme sound.

  • Gary June 8, 2013 (7:18 pm)

    I heard it from the top of Genesee hill. I was wide awake and it sounded muffled like a loud car door slamming. I figured it was a gunshot or fireworks. Interesting.

  • westseattledood June 8, 2013 (10:03 pm)

    I walked the Lowman-to-Lincoln loop this evening. Some partying going on somewhere up on the slope with a couple of low-level explosions heard from the path below.

    Yes, another captivating lesson in how water carries sound around here.
    Sometimes. :)

  • furiouskitty June 8, 2013 (11:19 pm)

    Been hearing some loud firecracker sounds tonight in AH. Neighborhood dogs are very unhappy about them.

  • HKW June 9, 2013 (8:19 pm)

    I just heard another loud boom in North Admiral a few mins ago. Wonder what it was.

    • WSB June 9, 2013 (8:20 pm)

      Heard several last night from here. All sounded like fireworks. No reports of any damage or injury.

  • Ernie June 10, 2013 (3:59 am)

    Look you pyro knuckleheads, I know exactly where you live. I’m on 47’th and the mortar you shot off tonight happened to have a small plume attached to it and it was almost directly above your backyard!
    Shooting these off are not only dangerous but can potentially cause a fire…..THEY ARE ILLEGAL.
    Let this serve as your last warning, next time I’ll personally escort Seattle’s finest to your front door. CASE CLOSED.

  • Tom June 10, 2013 (7:27 am)

    Check out Jumping Jack Flash Hypothesis blog:

    http://jumpingjackflashhypothesis.blogspot.com/

    Summary of Hypothesis

    The seas, lakes and oceans are now pluming deadly hydrogen sulfide and suffocating methane. Hydrogen sulfide is a highly toxic water-soluble heavier-than-air gas and will accumulate in low-lying areas. Methane is slightly more buoyant than normal air and so will be all around, but will tend to contaminate our atmosphere from the top down. These gases are sickening and killing oxygen-using life all around the world, including human life, as our atmosphere is increasingly poisoned. Because both gases are highly flammable and because our entire civilization is built around fire and flammable fuels, this is leading to more fires and explosions. This is an extinction level event and will likely decimate both the biosphere and human population and it is debatable whether humankind can survive this event.

    Predictions

    A. More fires and more explosions, especially along the coasts, but everywhere generally.
    B. Many more animal die-offs, of all kinds, and especially oceanic species.
    C. More multiples of people will be found dead in their homes, as if they’d dropped dead.
    D. More corpses found in low-lying areas, all over the world.
    E. More unusual vehicular accidents.
    F. Improved unemployment numbers as people die off.

    Category: Fires And Explosions

    2013-06-08 – Mystery boom heard at 2:45 AM in coastal West Seattle neighborhoods (Washington):
    https://westseattleblog.com/2013/06/early-morning-mystery-boom-heard-in-some-west-seattle-neighborhoods

    Note: And yet another ‘mystery boom’. These are explosions, and they’re likely caused by atmospheric hydrogen sulfide and/or methane plumes finding an ignition source and detonating. Eventually these explosions will likely equal the destructive force of small fission (nuclear) explosions like that which destroyed Hiroshima, but minus any radiation. These ‘mystery booms’ have been growing in frequency over the last year or so and there is no end in sight. The human race will probably be wiped off the surface of the Earth long before these explosions reach their eventual crescendo…

  • Jessica June 11, 2013 (11:08 pm)

    Thanks Tom, and now here’s Bob with the weather…

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