Highlights from 2018 UFO reports for the Bay Area and Northern California

📍 Location

📝 Description

A compilation of 2018 Bay Area/Northern California UFO reports published by SFGATE (Katie Dowd) highlights six notable sightings across Richmond (Jan 1, 2018), Oakland (Jul 7, 2018), in-flight over California (Jul 18, 2018), Vacaville (Jul 22, 2018), San Ramon (Sep 10, 2018), and Kentfield (Dec 23, 2018). The Kentfield observation is corroborated by a NUFORC report (Sighting 144092) detailing an 8-minute, oval-shaped craft with loud, hair-dryer-like noise and multi-colored lights observed by a single witness. A subsequent SFGATE analysis (Jan 2019) notes that some 2018 Bay Area sightings may have prosaic explanations (e.g., SpaceX rocket launches or common aircraft), while many cases remain unconfirmed by official sources.

🔍 Circumstances

Richmond, CA: January 1, 2018 — witness reported an oval metallic UFO hovering near power lines and a Chevron refinery; attempted to record video but it disappeared. Oakland, CA: July 7, 2018 — observer described a high, brightly glowing object with six dimmer lights arranged around it, moving southeast in tandem. In-flight over California: July 18, 2018 — on Alaska Airlines flight 3377 from Albuquerque to San Francisco, the witness and spouse reported three objects, each with two bright lights, that remained in a fixed arrangement for several minutes. Vacaville, CA: July 22, 2018 — witness described three bright lights in a triangle formation; lights dimmed simultaneously. San Ramon, CA: September 10, 2018 — witness described a large, wingless, noiseless object larger than an airliner, moving fast. Kentfield, CA: December 23, 2018 — single observer reported a loud, ongoing noise in the valley, with an aircraft-like object described as large, with green/white/red lights; path described as vertical ascent followed by horizontal movement toward Mount Tam.

👤 Physical Description

Richmond: oval metallic shape; Oakland: bright central light with six surrounding dimmer lights; In-flight: three objects with two bright lights each; Vacaville: three bright lights in a triangle; San Ramon: large, wingless, noiseless object; Kentfield: large oblong craft with green flashing light and bright white/red/yellow lights; bottom described as dark/black with multiple lights

ℹ️ Additional Details

Sources indicate the Bay Area sightings were collected by NUFORC and summarized by SFGATE. A 2019 SFGATE piece discusses that some 2018 Bay Area sightings could be explained by rocket launches (SpaceX) or conventional aircraft, and notes that California had numerous reports while San Francisco reported none in 2018 according to their compilation.

🔗 Sources (4)

👥 Community Contributions

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