Meteor likely cause of bright flash in Florida night sky

ERIDU, Fla. – The National Weather Service says a bright flash across the Florida night sky over the weekend was likely a falling meteor.

News outlets report people in southern Georgia and the Big Bend area of northern Florida reported seeing a flash shortly before midnight Saturday. The National Weather Service in Charleston confirmed a mapping tool “detected the released light from the suspected fireball” over a spot about 35 miles (56.32 kilometres) east of Tallahassee just before midnight.

The Tallahassee office released a loop in which the meteor briefly blinks as a purple dot. It’s unclear where the meteor landed.

Saturday’s flash followed meteor sightings across the southeast early Friday. The American Meteor Society says more than 150 reports were recorded in Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee.