Canada sightings / Ontario / Thunder Bay

UFO sightings in Thunder Bay, Ontario

47 UFO reports from Thunder Bay since 1989. The busiest year was 2019, with 6. The most common shape after plain lights: sphere. 5 were never explained.

47 reports
5 unexplained
1989 first report
2024 latest

How the reports were rated

11% unexplained
45% possibly explained
43% not enough information
2% explained

Reports by year

1’89

1’90

0’91

0’92

0’93

0’94

0’95

4’96

1’97

0’98

0’99

0’00

1’01

1’02

2’03

2’04

0’05

1’06

0’07

2’08

1’09

4’10

2’11

4’12

3’13

3’14

0’15

1’16

0’17

0’18

6’19

2’20

1’21

1’22

1’23

2’24

Unexplained cases worth reading

Jul 10, 2014 22:37Thunder BayUnexplained
Object at night · black, disc · 2 witnesses · 55 sec
2 black disc lined with orange/pink lights, both turned off their lights one at a time and flew off
Oct 5, 1997 15:00Thunder BayUnexplained
Object by day · white, oval · 1 witness
Elliptical ball dived, then headed off at high speed
Mar 20, 2019Thunder BayUnexplained
red, sphere · 1 witness
Pilot observed red colored ball of light which varied in intensity, then disappeared
May 26, 2008 23:15Thunder BayUnexplained
Light at night · white, point of light · 2 witnesses · 5 min
3 flashing lights darting throughout sky
Aug 1, 2004 00:20Thunder BayUnexplained
Light at night · orange, point of light · 2 witnesses · 8 sec
Satellite-like light flew in large "S" path

Every report from Thunder Bay

Feb 11, 2024 03:36Thunder BayNot enough information
Light at night · point of light · 1 sec
CADORS 2024O0284: "array of 5 lights above FL500; Canadian Air Defence notified"
Jan 19, 2024 04:45Thunder BayExplained
Light at night · point of light · 1 sec
Pilots of 4 aircraft saw lights moving in sky [NB: Starlink flares]
Feb 10, 2023 17:07Thunder BayPossibly explained
Photo or video · sphere · 1 sec
Photo of "second sun" like "golf ball" with structure [NB: no photo submitted]
May 21, 2022Thunder BayPossibly explained
Light at night · orange, point of light · 1 witness · 10 min
7-8 slow moving objs.moving in sky, flickered out 1x1
Oct 12, 2021 19:20Thunder BayPossibly explained
Object by day · pink, irregular · 1 witness · 10 min
2 objects moving in sky [NB: possible contrails lit by Sun, or reflections?]
Mar 13, 2020 06:20Thunder BayPossibly explained
Light at night · point of light · 1 sec
30 lights high in sky going W-E
Jan 28, 2020Thunder BayNot enough information
Light at night · 1 witness
Space satellites?
Sep 28, 2019Thunder BayPossibly explained
Light at night · orange, point of light · 1 witness · 10 min
Orange lights seen moving in sky, then fading out
Jun 7, 2019 21:22Thunder BayNot enough information
Object at night · sphere · 2 witnesses · 30 sec
Metallic looking craft seen high in the sky
May 31, 2019Thunder BayNot enough information
Light at night · point of light · 1 witness · 20 sec
2 satellites moving in sky stopped, "squiggled around," went off in different directions
Apr 14, 2019 23:19Thunder BayNot enough information
Object at night · 1 witness
One blinking light seen in sky
Apr 13, 2019 23:19Thunder BayNot enough information
Object at night · 2 witnesses
Bright white blinking lights seen in sky
Mar 20, 2019Thunder BayUnexplained
red, sphere · 1 witness
Pilot observed red colored ball of light which varied in intensity, then disappeared
Apr 4, 2016 22:50Thunder BayNot enough information
Light at night · point of light · 2 sec
1 light moving across the sky, then another flying in the opposite direction,
Jul 10, 2014 22:37Thunder BayUnexplained
Object at night · black, disc · 2 witnesses · 55 sec
2 black disc lined with orange/pink lights, both turned off their lights one at a time and flew off
Mar 3, 2014 21:35Thunder BayPossibly explained
Light at night · orange, point of light · 1 witness · 2 min
Large orange light that changed directions quickly several times then disappeared
Jan 1, 2014 00:30Thunder BayPossibly explained
Light at night · orange, point of light · 2 witnesses
6 orange lights flying across sky new years eve
Aug 16, 2013 23:45Thunder BayPossibly explained
Light at night · orange, point of light · 1 witness
6 orange glowing objects moving across sky
Aug 10, 2013 23:30Thunder BayPossibly explained
Light at night · orange, point of light · 2 witnesses
Orange light moving east top of lights turned purple and disappeared
Feb 1, 2013 21:45Thunder BayPossibly explained
Light at night · orange, point of light · 1 witness · 60 sec
Six glowing objects moving across sky
Sep 1, 2012 22:00Thunder BayNot enough information
Object at night · irregular · 2 sec
Craft with light like "prism" silently moved E
Jul 1, 2012 22:45Thunder BayPossibly explained
Light at night · red, point of light · 2 witnesses · 10 min
2 lights stationary in E
Jul 1, 2012Thunder BayPossibly explained
Light at night · orange, point of light · 10 witnesses
200 witnesses watched lights in sky?
Apr 17, 2012Thunder BayNot enough information
Light at night · point of light · 1 sec
Light moving in night sky vanished, reappeared elsewhere
Sep 27, 2011 20:40Thunder BayPossibly explained
Light at night · multicoloured, point of light · 1 witness
Video: lights moving, splitting [car headlights]
Aug 2, 2011 23:00Thunder BayPossibly explained
Light at night · orange, point of light · 2 witnesses · 2 min
Bright light floated silently, stopped, then flew away
Jul 19, 2010 04:00Thunder BayNot enough information
Light at night · point of light · 1 sec
Lights in E, moved away then came back
Jun 19, 2010 23:00Thunder BayPossibly explained
Light at night · white, point of light · 3 witnesses · 2 min
Starlike object moved S, turned 90 degrees E, brightened, moved off
Jun 5, 2010 23:00Thunder BayPossibly explained
Light at night · white, point of light · 2 witnesses · 2 min
Moving starlike object made 90 degree turn, pulsated, vanished
Feb 4, 2010 22:30Thunder BayPossibly explained
Light at night · white, point of light · 1 witness · 30 min
Stationary starlike light in Orion, flashing
Sep 3, 2009 21:45Thunder BayPossibly explained
Light at night · point of light
3 dot like objects streaming across sky in single file very fast
May 31, 2008 23:30Thunder BayPossibly explained
Light at night · white, point of light · 2 witnesses
Light flew from W-E in "jerky motion"
May 26, 2008 23:15Thunder BayUnexplained
Light at night · white, point of light · 2 witnesses · 5 min
3 flashing lights darting throughout sky
Jan 17, 2006 17:52Thunder BayNot enough information
Light at night · green · 2 witnesses
Stationary light in sky
Aug 1, 2004 00:20Thunder BayUnexplained
Light at night · orange, point of light · 2 witnesses · 8 sec
Satellite-like light flew in large "S" path
February 2004Thunder BayNot enough information
Light at night · point of light · 1 sec
4 lights moving together in night sky
Mar 11, 2003 03:00Thunder BayNot enough information
Light at night · orange, fireball
Snowmobiles stopped running when bright lights seen
Mar 8, 2003 19:00Thunder BayPossibly explained
Light at night · orange, point of light · 1 witness
Ball of flame with long trail, giong W
March 2002Thunder BayNot enough information
Unidentified objects reported seen in area (Bud Sherlock)
Jan 24, 2001 05:47Thunder BayPossibly explained
Light at night · fireball · 2 sec
Fireball illuminated ground; headed ESE; tail seen; fragmented
Oct 5, 1997 15:00Thunder BayUnexplained
Object by day · white, oval · 1 witness
Elliptical ball dived, then headed off at high speed
Dec 21, 1996 15:00Thunder Bay
Object by day · black, triangle · 6 witnesses
Dec 21, 1996Thunder Bay
Light at night · white, point of light · 2 witnesses
November 1996Thunder Bay
3 sec
October 1996 20:00Thunder Bay
Light at night · lights · 5 witnesses · 3 sec
Sep 20, 1990 03:30Thunder BayNot enough information
Light at night · point of light · 1 sec
Object "lower than stars", "biggest object in sky"
July 1989 21:30Thunder BayNot enough information
Light at night · point of light · 2 sec
Bright light moved in triangular pattern (?), then went E

Seen something over Thunder Bay? Report it How to tell a UFO from a plane or satellite

Nearby towns

Winnipeg Sudbury North Bay Brandon Sarnia Barrie Windsor Kitchener

About this data

These reports come from the Canadian UFO Survey, compiled each year since 1989 by Ufology Research of Winnipeg. Each year the survey gathers sightings sent to police, airports, the military, researchers and UFO groups across the country, and rates each one. We left out every report the survey received from MUFON, NUFORC or Enigma Labs, so the totals here are lower than in the survey itself.

The ratings are the survey's: explained means a likely cause was found (a plane, a planet, a satellite re-entry), possibly explained means there's a good guess, and unexplained means the investigators couldn't find one. Notes are short summaries, lightly tidied. Most places are the nearest town, not the exact spot.