In what could be another strange side effect of this year's pandemic, reports of unidentified flying objects are way up in New York in 2020. Like, way up, according to this article in the NY Post. When you talk about UFO sightings, there are a lot of things to keep in mind. Is it really some sort of alien craft and not just a regular airplane? Maybe some sort of military equipment? Or it could be simply explained as just another star in the night sky?

But the fact remains, when you talk with some of these witnesses they are convinced they've seen something otherworldly that totally defies explanation. Could something like a worldwide pandemic, and the shutdowns that followed, be fueling some sort of hysteria? Or maybe it's simpler than that. People have been home more often, so they think they're noticing things more often. This could range from the repairs to ones' property that they've been putting off for years, or more sightings of rats and other household pests. To top if off, we are amid a major pandemic, so anxiety is running high. Your imagination can start to mess with you.

New York state has long been a hotbed for UFO sightings. According to the National UFO reporting Center, we are fifth in the nation. So far for 2020, California is first with 10,053 reports. Florida is second (5,631), then Washington (4,176), and Texas (3,739). New York is right behind, with 3,678 reports of UFO-related events this year alone. And while some may point to the pandemic as being part of the cause for these claims, 2019 was also a big year in the state for sightings.

According to the database, the latest sighting from the Hudson Valley was reported October 4 in New Windsor, when the witness claims they saw 4 flashing lights or orbs that were hovering above a residential area in "triangle to rectangle patterns". Weird. Well, after all, our part of the state has quite the history when it comes to UFO reports. Have you ever had an encounter you can't explain?

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