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How did a fireworks blast in DC get so loud? Well, the answer is... science

WUSA9 meteorologists say a "temperature inversion" likely caused sound from fireworks blast at a Navy Yard ice rink to reverberate across DC Sunday night.

WASHINGTON — A sound, similar to an explosion, reverberated across much of the District Sunday night. DC Police say it appeared to be the result of a single firework. Still, many are curious: how could that be so loud?

DC Police and DC Fire and EMS, responded to the 200 block of M Street Southeast, Sunday, around 10:30 pm. Navy Yard residents observed a large plume of smoke, billowing into the sky, above them.

Authorities soon determined someone had set off a firework on an ice rink in nearby Canal Park. Fortunately, police said the blast hurt no one. Both the ice rink and many surrounding businesses closed thirty minutes prior to the incident.

However, residents across D.C. soon hopped on to social media sites like Twitter and Facebook to say that they, too, had heard what sounded like an explosion.

Viewers as far away as Capitol Hill and neighborhoods east of the Anacostia River all told WUSA9 they heard a loud sound around the same time authorities arrived to examine the damage in Navy Yard.

“I literally shot up in bed, because it was so loud,” H Street Northeast resident Emily Beauvais said. “Immediately, my first thought was ‘that was a bomb’.”

A similar situation happened last May in the District. Sound from a concert next to D.C.’s RFK Stadium could be heard all across town.

At the time, WUSA9 meteorologists concluded the amplified noise was likely the result of something called a “temperature inversion”.

WUSA9 Meteorologists Kaitlyn McGrath and Makayla Lucero said the same phenomenon likely impacted the travel of the audio associated with the Navy Yard blast Sunday night too.

“Under normal atmosphere conditions, temperatures are warmest at the surface and get colder with height and as long as temperatures get colder, hot air will continue to rise,” McGrath said. “But, with a temperature inversion, like we saw last night, there’s a thin layer of warmer air well above our heads and that traps in things like smoke, pollution, and sound, allowing it to reverberate farther distances so you can hear it from farther away.”

The noise of the Navy Yard blast ultimately proved to be more significant than the actual physical impact made on the ice rink.

The Capital Riverfront Business Improvement District said the rink was able to reopen at noon, Monday, following damage cleanup and a subsequent safety check. The only remnants of the firework incident appeared to be a darkened imprint on the rink’s ice and a blown-out glass panel inches away.

However, DC Police is still trying to find the person or people responsible for lighting the incendiary device. A department spokesperson said officers are actively trying to collect surveillance video in the area.

If you happen to know anything about what transpired Sunday night, in Navy Yard, you’re asked to call 202-727-9099 or text the department's tip line at 50411.

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