This explains the surprise researchers at the University of Western Ontario felt when they examined data collected this past weekend by the Canadian Meteor Orbit Radar. It showed a surprisingly strong Draconid signature — normally the radiant is lost in the noise — and calculations indicate the visual rate must have reached around 150 per hour at about 5h UT October 8.
The shower peak would have been visible in Asia, and the few reports gathered by the International Meteor Organization do show an outburst at about this time. They indicate a peak rate of only about 40 per hour though. The Ontario team's new stream models may explain the apparent discrepancy. The models show Earth being hit by very small particles (less than one-tenth of a millimeter) ejected from Giacobini-Zinner back in 1946. Such small particles would have produced very faint meteors that are difficult to detect visually.
Fortunately, this was a minor outburst, and no spacecraft systems appear to have been affected. Meteor-shower forecasters — like myself — however, suddenly feel quite sympathetic to weather forecasters faced with a rainy day when they had predicted sunshine. This year, the Dragon showed a hint of its fire and reminded us that, sophisticated computer models notwithstanding, we still have lots to learn about the Draconids.