Slovakia experienced a wave of confusion and curiosity this week after a strange formation appeared on the radar images of the Slovak Hydrometeorological Institute (SHMÚ). The radar showed what looked like a sudden explosion over eastern Slovakia, sparking widespread speculation on social media.
While Slovaks debated whether it might be a nuclear blast or a meteor strike, Czech users responded with humour. “Has anyone seen Košice in the last hour?” joked one commenter, according to the Czech news site iDNES.cz.
The unease was fuelled by coincidence: only a few hours earlier, a relatively strong earthquake had been recorded in neighbouring Hungary, leading some users to connect the two events. As imeteo.sk noted, several online discussions even mentioned a “possible atomic explosion” or rising radiation levels.
The panic, however, was short-lived. SHMÚ soon issued an official statement explaining that no catastrophe had taken place. The mysterious radar image, they said, was caused by a technical malfunction.
“Today, 22 October 2025, from 11:20 CET, we have been recording a fault on the Kojšovská Hoľa radar. We are actively working to fix it. Thank you for your understanding,” the meteorologists said in their announcement.
What looked like a dramatic atmospheric event turned out to be nothing more than a glitch — though for a few hours, it certainly had the internet’s full attention.
