SPOKANE, Wash. — Loud noises in north Spokane caused some to think an explosion had occurred Sunday night.
The Spokane County Sheriff's Office says it wasn't an explosion, but was instead simply fireworks.
But Michael Ames, who lives near Whitworth, said the noise sounded louder than fireworks.
"It was some sort of explosion," Ames said.
Another person also said they heard what they thought was an explosion, and Ames said he couldn't be sure that the source was firecrackers because the noise wasn't close.
"My second reaction was, 'is something going on at Fairchild'?," Ames said.
While firecrackers may not be a very interesting source of sound, but the reason why people thought the source was something bigger is actually caused by the weather conditions.
In 2016, multiple people thought they had heard something that may be an explosion in Spokane Valley, but it turned out to be a snow plow at the Spokane Valley Mall.
The noise had traveled farther than normal due to the cold air.
Normally when it's not this cold out, sound waves bend upwards from warm air on the ground. When it's really cold, it's the opposite.
The layer of cooler air is closer to the ground and warmer air is covering it from above, causing the sound waves to continue to travel as they avoid being absorbed by the ground.
This can cause sounds to travel a greater distance in all directions, and may be why people thought a firecracker was a larger explosion.