A loud noise that shook windows and woke residents across The Woodlands early Thursday, Sept. 10, came from an F-16 fighter jet, Sean K. Thompson of Woodlands Online reported.

The noise hit around 1:30 a.m. and was especially loud in the Panther Creek neighborhood. It lasted longer than a typical sonic boom, according to the report. Some residents bolted awake fearing missile strikes or meteor impacts.

No injuries or property damage were reported. Woodlands Online described the aftermath as "rattled windows, barking dogs, and frayed nerves."

Thompson attributed the noise to an F-16 from an alert detachment based at Ellington Airport in Houston. The jet was reportedly providing combat air patrols tied to a Temporary Flight Restriction, or TFR. The nature of the restriction and what it was protecting were not disclosed.

The aircraft did not appear on standard public flight-tracking services, which added to the confusion. Houston Air Watch, an aviation-monitoring account on X, also noted reports of a low-flying jet over The Woodlands overnight.

No official statement from the military, The Woodlands Township or the Montgomery County Sheriff's Office has confirmed the F-16 account. Woodlands Online cited unnamed sources but did not identify the specific unit that flew the jet. The 147th Attack Wing of the Texas Air National Guard is based at Ellington Field Joint Reserve Base, but that unit gave up its last F-16s in 2008 and now flies MQ-9 Reaper drones. The F-16 alert detachment appears to be a separate unit at the same base.

Woodlands Online reported that no large-scale military exercises are scheduled to cause major noise disruptions over The Woodlands in the near future.