Commack's 'Big Bang' Explained

Commack residents were startled Tuesday night when a loud bang and flash of light went off. Some locals said that boom was so heavy that it shook their homes.

Right after the bang, residents took to social media to figure out what they had just heard. Speculations varied from a train running off its tracks, to a power plant explosion and a plane crash. 

So what was it? Meteor? Explosion? Alien invasion? No, just good ol' thunder and lightning, a spokesperson from the National Weather Service confirmed Wednesday.

The NWS representative said that the organization put out a special weather statement at 9:46 p.m., regarding a snow squall moving at 45 mph toward Northport. The quick-forming storm cell dropped snow, sleet and rain on the area. The squall is likely what residents heard, he said.

He explained that the squalls, embedded thunder and lightning strikes moved through Commack between 9 p.m. and 10 p.m. However, there's no explanation for why the thunder clap was so loud. Perhaps spring, which officially started today, was giving this long winter one heck of knock out.

Unfortunately, while spring has sprung, Commack isn't done with the cold weather yet. According to the NWS, snow showers are likely early Thursday morning and temperatures will remain in the low 40s for the rest of the week.