MILWAUKEE — Authorities were flooded with curious callers after a meteor streaking across the Midwestern sky looked like a huge fireball.

National Weather Service offices in La Crosse, Wis., Des Moines, Iowa, and Kansas City, Mo., received numerous reports of the fireball from law enforcement officials and the public.

Witnesses say the meteor lit the sky about 10:15 p.m. Wednesday. Jeff Boyle says he was on his way home from work in Waukesha, Wis., when he saw a ball in the sky with a huge tail that was as bright as the sun.

Forecasters say a meteor shower called Gamma Virginids began April 4 and is expected to last to April 21 with peak activity Wednesday and today. But they couldn’t immediately confirm if the Midwest meteor was part of that shower.