Routine flight tests conducted by two Navy fighter jets caused sonic booms that were felt and heard in Maryland’s Eastern Shore and Virginia’s Northern Neck around noon Thursday.
The flights conducted multiple tests between 9:20 a.m. and 12:20 p.m. requiring supersonic speeds, which caused the booms.
The sonic booms were intensified by warm temperatures and calm surface winds, according to the weather office at the Naval Air Station.
The Naval Air Station said they take precautions to lessen the impact of testing activities on the community in all operations. The area where supersonic flights are conducted is an area that runs along the coast of the Delmarva Peninsula, and the closest point to the land is 3 miles offshore.
Thursday’s boom felt by the community was a rare occurrence, the naval air station said.
