Meteorite fall in Ponderosa Forest, Harris County, north of Houston, Texas, USA at 21:40:10 UT on 21 March 2026

22/03/2026 10:31 · by karmaka · in witnessed fall

A ~6-pound palm-sized meteorite fragment (probably an ordinary chondrite) fell through the roof of Sherrie A James’s house at location 30°01’21.7″N, 95°27’40.9″W in Ponderosa Forest, Harris County, north of Houston, Texas, USA on 21 March 2026. The mass fell into her daughter’s bedroom on the second floor and ricocheted off the floor, hit the ceiling again and then landed on the floor next to her daughter’s bed where it was found by James’s grandson. James’s daughter was not in the room at the time of the fall. James herself was in her own bedroom at the time. James called the Ponderosa Fire Department after James’s grandson checked the attic and found a hole in the roof. Fire Captain Tyler Ellingham and his team touched the meteorite, which Mrs James did not dare to do. Mrs James said she would definitely going to keep the meteorite. Before a bolide of a meteoroid with a diameter of about 90 cm weighing about one ton was recorded above Houston. The luminous trail was first recorded at an altitude of 79 miles above Stagecoach. A main fragmentation event happened at an altitude of ~29 miles above Bammel and Doppler weather radar data (KHGX (NOAA NEXRAD) and TIAH (TDWR airport radar)) show signatures of falling meteorites during an eight-minute period above an area between Willowbrook and Northgate Crossing (NASA event 20260321-214010 / NASA (meteorite falls)).

Be mindful of private property and do not trespass while searching for meteorites!

The partly fusion-crusted and partly regmaglypted meteorite mass. Photo: Sherrie A James

Photo: KHOU 11

James holding her meteorite mass. Photo: Sherrie A James

The matrix of the meteorite clearly shows melt veins. Image: Fox26

The meteorite at its find location on the floor. Photo: Ponderosa Fire Department

The hole in the ceiling of the daughter’s bedroom. Photo: Sherrie A James

The impact hole on the floor of the daughter’s bedroom. Photo: Sherrie A James

The impact hole on the floor of the daughter’s bedroom. Photo: Sherrie A James

Calculated fall zone

Simplified estimate of where meteorites landed. Dark red is where 10kg meteorites landed IF they were produced, then 1kg (red), 100g (dark orange), 10g (light orange) and 1g (yellow). (Image: NASA)