‘Notable’ 6.4-magnitude earthquake strikes California coast

(NEW YORK) — A “notable” 6.4-magnitude earthquake struck the northern coast of California early Tuesday, the U.S. Geological Survey said.

Notable quake, preliminary info: M 6.4 – 12km WSW of Ferndale, CA https://t.co/PxdJCcDwFH

— USGS Earthquakes (@USGS_Quakes) December 20, 2022

Preliminary data placed the center of the quake along the Pacific coast about 7.5 miles away from Ferndale, California, USGS said. The quake was recorded at about 2:34 local time.

A tsunami wasn’t expected, according to the U.S. National Tsunami Warning Center, which reported the quake at a preliminary magnitude of 6.1.

More than 71,000 customers — about 72% of those in Humboldt County — had lost power as of about 4:45 a.m. local time, according to tracking website PowerOutage.us.

Power is out across the county,” officials said on Twitter, adding in all-caps: “Do not call 911 unless you are experiencing an emergency.”

The quake was large enough to trigger a “ShakeAlert” that was sent to cell phones by FEMA’s Wireless Emergency Alert System, officials said.

“We hope everyone is safe and if you felt shaking or got an alert you took a protective action like Drop, Cover, and Hold On,” USGS said.

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