On Monday, people from Mississippi to Texas reported seeing what they thought was a meteor flying through the sky.

Meteorologists with the National Weather Service in Jackson said the occurrence can be explained and it wasn't a meteor.

Instead they say airplane exhaust mixed with the precipitation to cause a hole in the clouds.

Capt. Jim Thornton of the Mississippi National Guard said he heard a loud sound, then looked up and saw the line through the sky.

"The only sound I heard was like a crack in the sky, and it continued north, just a matter of seconds. Most unbelievable thing I've ever seen in my life," said Thornton.

The National Weather Service calls the phenomenon "hole punch clouds."