Alabama’s meteoric history: How previous meteors compare to recent event
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A sonic boom grabbed the attention of much of the northeast earlier this week.
It didn’t take long for NASA to confirm the noise came from a meteorite entering the atmosphere, landing in Cape Cod Bay. That was the third meteorite recorded in the United States this year.
NASA registered a small meteorite shower in Alabama as recently as November 2025 but our state has a longer (and more significant) history with these events than you may know.
Keep reading to learn more about some of the historic falls from across the state.
Ann Hodges Meteorite in Sylacauga
Maybe the most famous meteorite story in Alabama’s history is about a woman named Ann Hodges.
Many people in the state saw what they described as a fireball across a clear sky in November 1954. Turns out, it was a comet falling from the sky near Sylacauga.
Around 1PM, Hodges was treated after reportedly being struck by a “grapefruit-sized” meteorite fragment weighing roughly 8.5 pounds. Now, that fragment sits at the University of Alabama’s Natural History Museum.
Hodges became the first documented individual to be struck by a meteorite and survive.
The legacy still lives on in the area through things like:
- Comet sculpture in front of the Municipal Complex
- Historical marker
- Comet Mini Mart
- Comet Bait Shop
- Comet Drive-In theater
Wetumpka Impact Crater
The story of Wetumpka’s connection to falling debris is much older and on a much larger scale.
According to the city, the Wetumpka Impact Crater was created approximately 85 million years ago when a massive asteroid, estimated to be over 1,000 feet wide, struck what was then a shallow sea. The impact formed a five-mile-wide crater that remains one of the best-preserved marine impact sites in the world.
You can visit the city to learn more about the site’s history. They offer an annual guided tour along with self-guided tours with information found at the Wetumpka Impact Crater Discovery & Visitors Center.
Recent meteorite falls in Alabama
NASA’s Astromaterials Research & Exploration Science keeps a public list of meteorite falls across the country.
Here are just some that have happened in Alabama:
