The unidentified “boom” sounds that shook homes and rattled nerves earlier this year in one area of the High Desert have returned.
Residents in the areas of Phelan, Oak Hills, Baldy Mesa and Adelanto told the Daily Press that on Sunday, “loud booms” shook properties, scared horses and made dogs “howl.”
A High Desert resident of over 60 years, Susan Moore of Phelan said she’s familiar with the sound of fireworks, thunder, gunshots and sonic booms.
“These loud booms weren’t any of those things,” Moore told the Daily Press. “It felt like sound waves penetrating the air and ground.”
‘Just weird’
Miguel Sanchez, who lives near Highway 395 in Adelanto, said the “loud booms went off every couple of hours,” and scared his wife, children and dogs.
“It sounded like explosions from underground and other times, from the sky,” Sanchez said. “It was just weird.”
Some speculate the boom sounds came from “rocket testing” at Edwards Air Force Base, located over 50 miles northwest of Phelan.
The U.S. Geological Survey reported no significant seismic activity in the area over the weekend.
Messages left with the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department about the sounds were not returned.
Unidentified booms, explosions
For decades, residents across the High Desert have reported identifying “booms” that have shaken property.
In January 2024, Apple Valley residents reported being fed up with nightly sounds of unidentified and mysterious “explosions,” or “loud booms,” that shook homes and rattled nerves, the Daily Press reported.
At that time, the “loud boom” sounds had been reported mostly between 8 p.m. and midnight, Apple Valley Sheriff’s spokeswoman Pam Hoffman told the Daily Press.
“Deputies respond to the area where the callers live but have been unable to identify what might be causing the noise,” said Hoffman at that time.
In April 2016, High Desert residents reported loud booms and shaking, but no evidence of an earthquake or other abnormal activity was reported, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.
In April 1943, “A mysterious explosion” shook homes in Lucerne Valley. No one was able to explain the source of the sound, leaving the entire community “baffled,” the Daily Press reported.
This story is developing and will be updated as more information becomes available.
Daily Press reporter Rene Ray De La Cruz may be reached at RDeLaCruz@VVDailyPress.com. Follow him on X @DP_ReneDeLaCruz
This article originally appeared on Victorville Daily Press: Mysterious loud ‘booms’ rattle nerves, shake homes across High Desert
Reporting by Rene Ray De La Cruz, Victorville Daily Press / Victorville Daily Press
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
