This article recalls the era of frequent sonic booms over American cities:
https://www.cincinnatimagazine.com/a...er-cincinnati/
I heard two as a kid. I remember sitting in class one day and suddenly it felt like the building had shattered. We all looked around at each other wondering if we were still alive. It was much, much louder than thunder.
The second one occurred about a year later just as I was stepping off the school bus. At the instant my foot touched the surface of the street, the whole world exploded. That second incident really illustrated the danger of the booms - if someone was working on a ladder or handing something to someone at the moment the boom hit, there is a good chance that they'd fall or drop something.
I also experienced an incident where I was nearly struck by lightning while mowing grass in the rain. The bolt hit about 100 feet from me, and obviously was very startling, but in my estimation the booms were even louder.
Threaded Mode