Earth Changes
Around 2:00 a.m. early Sunday morning my social media feed was filled with people asking "what's that noise?" Many described the noise as a crazy loud 'boom.' Many people reported that houses and windows shook, as a result.
So what was it? No one is absolutely certain as to the cause. Rockford was not alone as these loud 'booms' were heard around the world over the long weekend.

Surapong Suebchai, a firefighter and snake handling trainer, demonstrating how to capture a king cobra. Bangkok’s fire department has answered tens of thousands of calls for snake removal this year.
She rushed to the hospital, bleeding heavily, and still bears the marks from eight tooth punctures that were around half an inch deep.
That snake was captured. But a week later, Ms. Panarat's 15-year-old daughter found a second python in the same toilet. The daughter was so shaken, she went to stay with relatives.
It could be argued that snakes have always owned this corner of Thailand, and that the people of Bangkok are merely borrowing it from them. The main airport, Suvarnabhumi, was built in a place called Cobra Swamp, and the city itself took shape on the Chao Phraya River delta — a marshy reptile paradise.
But this year, the Bangkok Fire and Rescue Department, which removes snakes from homes, has been busier than ever.
As of Monday, the department had received 31,801 calls this year for help in removing snakes. That is more calls than for all of last year (29,919), and more than three the number in 2012 (10,492).
The warning extends through 6 p.m. today. Summits could see up to six inches of snow in total, although NWS meteorologist Leigh Anne Eaton said any significant accumulation is unlikely.
"It's probably going to be a snow-rain mix," Eaton said.
She said the storm is the result of a weather front of "enhanced moisture," which will sweep across the windward side of the Big Island, causing heavy showers throughout the island's east side and snowfall at higher altitudes.
Snowfall is expected to continue on the mountains throughout the week, with the weather service predicting an 80 percent chance of snow showers each day through Thursday night.
A 53-year-old man from Mangwe died after a hut he was sleeping in collapsed while a 10-year-old boy was struck to death by huge hail stones during a storm which hit the area on Saturday night.
Mangwe acting District Administrator who is also the acting chairperson of the Civil Protection Committee, Mr Onismo Zvogara, said about 15 people had been admitted to Brunapeg Hospital after sustaining injuries.
He said the number of affected homesteads was yet to be established as the assessment was still ongoing.
Stunned beachgoers at Jubilee Point discovered the massive whale about midday.
Photos from the scene show a bloodied carcass up against rocks near the base of a cliff.
Emergency Victoria advised swimmers to "stay out of the water" at the popular Sorrento Beach, as sharks may appear to feed on the dead whale.
The Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning said nearby walking tracks were also closed while the carcass was removed.
The carcass was spotted by a fisherman who reported the find to UAE Coast Guard around 6am.
Hana Saif Al Suwaidi, Chairman of Environment and Protected Areas Authority in Sharjah, told Gulf News that they are working to tow the whale's body to the shore.
Al Suwaidi said the humpback whale is found in waters stretching from Asia toward the Horn of Africa.
Initial examination is leading marine authorities to speculate the whale died from injuries sustained from collision with a tanker.
The incident happened while a group of nine women agriculture labourers were involved in paddy cultivation activities in Karuppur village. It was raining, and lightning struck six of them.
Three women, identified as Unnamalai, 48, Senthamizhselvi, 40, and Anjalai, 50, died on the spot.
Three others, identified as Ponnarambu, Annakodi and Selvi, sustained injuries. They were rushed to Thanjavur Medical College Hospital.
The Thirumanur police retrieved the dead bodies with the help of villagers. The bodies were sent to the Ariyalur Government Hospital for postmortem.
The police registered a case.

Indonesia's National Disaster Mitigation Agency raised the volcano's alert to the highest level Monday and expanded an exclusion zone to 10 kilometers (6 miles) from the crater in places from the previous 7 1/2 kilometers.
Governor Made Pastika said the evacuation period for people living within 10 kilometres of the crater could easily last as long as a month.
Indonesia's disaster management agency said the evacuation is so far orderly and without panic.
Mount Agung has been hurling clouds of white and dark grey ash about 3,000 meters into the atmosphere since the weekend and lava is welling up in the crater, sometimes reflected as a reddish-yellow glow in the ash plumes.
Its explosions can be heard about 12 kilometres away.
Comment: See also:
- Bali volcano has erupted for a second time in less than a week, forcing airlines to re-route flights
- Cooling effect expected when Indonesia's Mount Agung erupts
- Volcanoes are erupting all over the place right now. Scientists have figured out why: A minute slowdown in the planet's rotation
As per the available data with the Met Office, Odisha recorded a total of 173 lightning deaths in just the first two months of the 2017 monsoon period and alone accounted for nearly 49 per cent of lightning deaths in the country. Jharkhand alone accounted for half of the total thunderstorm casualties nationally.
The worry for Odisha is deaths due to lightning have been the highest this monsoon as the lightning casualties touched the 300-mark during June to September, and the deaths were reported from as many as 25 districts. For this, the Indian Met Office has put Odisha on the climate change watch list by labelling it as a 'significant' weather event observed in State.
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Comment: Another woman was also killed by lightning elsewhere in Tamil Nadu a day prior to the above incident.