A mysterious radar streak over Washington DC left social media buzzing with wild theories. Kari Lake, an advisor at the US Agency for Global Media, tweeted, *”What is this zooming across the radar over Washington DC?”* after spotting the anomaly during a major storm.

People quickly speculated about aliens or government weather manipulation. *“Watch as what seems like a laser beam shoots across DC… as if they are feeding this storm,”* one user wrote. Another simply said: *“Aliens.”*

However, meteorologist Matthew Cappucci debunked the mystery. He explained, *“This is the result of an obstruction… from a structure east of Dulles-based radar.”* The culprit? A communication tower at Dulles Airport’s fire station blocking part of the radar beam.

Cappucci clarified such radar artifacts are common: *“You’ll see things like ground clutter, superrefraction… even birds and butterflies.”*

Meanwhile, drone sightings in New Jersey sparked similar panic, with over 5,000 reports. But the Pentagon and White House confirmed no national threat. John Kirby said the sightings include *“lawful commercial drones, hobbyists, and even stars mistakenly reported as drones.”*

In both cases, science and facts have offered calm answers to viral fears.