Authorities Explain The Booms, Bangs, + Rattles Heard In Minnesota County

Minnesotans have been calling up the police department after hearing explosions, rattles, and bangs recently. People have flocked to social media asking others if they have heard the loud explosions. What could they be?

Explosions and blasts regularly rock this Minnesota county.

I found out about this when I was doing a cute story on the origins of the City Of Nowthen, Minnesota. Yes, there actually is a city called Nowthen, and it came to be about how you expect.

Anyway, on the announcement page of the City Of Nowthen website, I saw a bulletin that read: "Was That An Explosion? Yes! But A Controlled One."

A major defense company does testing in Minnesota.

It turns out the explosions were part of munition testing for aerospace company Northrop Grumman. They are the manufacturer of many of our military aircraft and systems. You may recognize some of them like the B-2 Stealth Bomber.

Residents in rural Anoka County, Minnesota could be hearing the blasts from time to time. If conditions are right and in cold weather, the sound can really travel. The wind direction can send loud blasts toward residential areas. Local news hometownsource.com recently published an article about what the blasts are all about.

What kind of ammunition are they testing?

They do testing of large caliber ammunition for fighting vehicles, tanks, and ships at the location in St. Francis / Elk River. They don't actually produce the weapons there, but it's where they set them off.

Increased number of calls about explosions in recent years.

More people have been noticing the explosions in Anoka County because since the pandemic, more people have been moving to the rural area. Also, more people are working remotely from home, which means they are more likely to hear the explosions during regular office hours (when Northrup Grumman tests).