Did you feel it? Earthquake rattles parts of Massachusetts, New England
Updated: 11:18 AM EST Jan 27, 2025
FROM THE BREAKING NEWS DESK AS WE FOLLOW THE EARTHQUAKE. THE U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY INITIALLY REPORTING IT AS A 4.1. NOW THEY’RE SAYING IT’S A 3.8 MAGNITUDE EARTHQUAKE THAT STRUCK JUST OFF THE COAST OF SOUTHERN MAINE. LET’S GET IT RIGHT OVER TO CHIEF METEOROLOGIST CINDY FITZGIBBON NOW. AND CINDY, A LOT OF PEOPLE ARE REPORTING THAT THEY FELT THIS FROM ALL OVER THE AREA. YEAH, ALL OVER NEW ENGLAND, TO BE HONEST WITH YOU, INCLUDING HERE IN THE BOSTON AREA. SO THIS HAPPENED AT 1022 THIS MORNING. AND INITIALLY IT CAME IN AND IS A MAGNITUDE 4.1. AND THEN IT WAS REVISED DOWN TO A 3.8 MAGNITUDE EARTHQUAKE OCCURRING AT 1022. AND YOU CAN SEE WHERE IT IS. IT’S ABOUT SIX MILES OFF THE COAST SOUTHEAST OF YORK, MAINE, CENTERED HERE AROUND YORK HARBOR. AND THAT IS A GOOD DISTANCE FROM OUR AREA. BUT LOOK AT HOW MANY PLACES REPORTING FEELING THAT RUMBLING. IT WAS EITHER WEAK TO LIGHT RUMBLING THAT MANY OF US WERE FEELING IN OUR AREA. BUT EVEN HERE, INSIDE A STUDIO WITHOUT ANY WINDOWS, WE HEARD A LITTLE SOMETHING. JUST AFTER 1020 THIS MORNING AND WE HEARD IT TOO, AS MANY OF YOU DID, AS FAR OUT AS IN WORCESTER COUNTY AND ALL THE WAY DOWN TOWARD THE CAPE, WHICH IS A GOOD 90 MILES AWAY FROM THE CENTER OF WHERE THIS OCCURRED. NOW, IF YOU’RE THINKING EARTHQUAKES IN NEW ENGLAND, THAT DOESN’T HAPPEN ALL THAT OFTEN. AND THEY CAN HAPPEN. IN FACT, YOU MAY REMEMBER BACK ON APRIL 5TH, WE HAD A STRONGER ONE CENTERED IN NEW JERSEY. ANYTHING THAT IS 44 MILES OR LESS IS CONSIDERED SHALLOW. AND THIS PARTICULAR EARTHQUAKE WAS A DEPTH OF ABOUT EIGHT MILES. SO THIS IS A SHALLOW QUAKE, BUT IT CAN BE FELT FOR A PRETTY GOOD DISTANCE. AND IN NEW ENGLAND WE AVERAGE SEVERAL SMALL QUAKES A YEAR. MOST OF THESE ARE MAGNITUDE 2.5 OR LESS. THE GOOD NEWS ABOUT THIS WITH THIS TYPE OF MAGNITUDE OF AN EARTHQUAKE, YOU’RE NOT GOING TO BE LOOKING AT A TSUNAMI OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT. BUT THIS IS SOMETHING THAT REALLY GOT TO THINK. A LOT OF OUR ATTENTION JUST AFTER 1020 THIS MORNING, HEARING THAT KIND OF RUMBLING IN THE DISTANCE AND CLOSER TO THE CENTER OF THIS THROUGH PARTS OF SOUTHERN NEW HAMPSHIRE, A LOT OF YOU FEELING THE SHAKING AS WELL. BUT WE’RE GOING TO CONTINUE TO MONITOR THIS. WE HAVEN’T HAD ANY REPORTS OF DAMAGE JUST YET. ANTOINETTE YOU IN THE NEWSROOM MAY BE HEARING MORE SORTS OF THAT THAN WE ARE HERE, BUT NOT TERRIBLY UNCOMMON TO GET AN EARTHQUAKE HERE IN NEW ENGLAND. AGAIN, WE AVERAGE SEVERAL PER YEAR, BUT A MAGNITUDE 3.8 IS FAIRLY SIZABLE. I WAS JUST LOOKING UP SOME DATA FROM THE STATE OF MAINE, AND THEY AVERAGE ONE MAGNITUDE THREE POINT HIGHER PER YEAR IN THE STATE OF MAINE. ANTOINETTE. YEAH, LIKE YOU MENTIONED, CINDY. WE’RE CERTAINLY WORKING THE PHONES, CALLING SEVERAL MUNICIPALITIES AND CHECKING TO SEE IF THERE’S BEEN ANY DAMAGE. SO FAR, WE HAVE NOT HEARD OF ANY, BUT WE WILL, OF COURSE, KEEP YOU UPDATED ON ALL OF THIS COMING UP ON NEWSCENTER FIVE AT NOON.
Parts of Massachusetts and New England felt a rumble and shake Monday morning when a small earthquake hit the area.According to the U.S. Geological Survey, a 3.8 magnitude quake hit about 6 miles off the southeast coast of York Harbor, Maine, at 10:22 a.m. WCVB viewers from across Massachusetts reached out to report the quake. “We just felt a pretty steady earthquake up here in Newburyport. My parents in Dover, New Hampshire and brother in Portland Maine both felt it as well,” one WCVB viewer wrote in an email. “Felt the earthquake in Methuen big time ! It was brief, 5-8 seconds but my entire house shook and I had couple loud bangs that I’m not sure what they were. It was pretty intense for something that small and brief!” another viewer wrote. “Just felt the house shaking, light swinging a little and table I was sitting at shaking. Did we just have an earthquake?” another viewer wrote. “I live at Lake Whalom in Lunenburg MA. I’m pretty certain we just had a small earthquake at approximately 10:20 AM. It lasted about 5-10 seconds and a pocket door near me was rattling and I could feel the vibration under my feet and my body on my couch. My husband came out of his office right away and asked ‘was that a tremor?’” another viewer wrote. Maine averages one magnitude 3 or higher earthquake each year. According to the USGS, earthquakes are not uncommon in the New York City/Philadelphia/Wilmington corridor. Moderately damaging earthquakes strike somewhere in that urban corridor roughly twice a century, and smaller earthquakes are felt roughly every two to three years, the USGS said.New York City was damaged by earthquakes in 1737 and 1884.This is a developing story. WCVB will have more details as they are available.
Parts of Massachusetts and New England felt a rumble and shake Monday morning when a small earthquake hit the area.
According to the U.S. Geological Survey, a 3.8 magnitude quake hit about 6 miles off the southeast coast of York Harbor, Maine, at 10:22 a.m.
WCVB viewers from across Massachusetts reached out to report the quake.
“We just felt a pretty steady earthquake up here in Newburyport. My parents in Dover, New Hampshire and brother in Portland Maine both felt it as well,” one WCVB viewer wrote in an email.
“Felt the earthquake in Methuen big time ! It was brief, 5-8 seconds but my entire house shook and I had couple loud bangs that I’m not sure what they were. It was pretty intense for something that small and brief!” another viewer wrote.
“Just felt the house shaking, light swinging a little and table I was sitting at shaking. Did we just have an earthquake?” another viewer wrote.
“I live at Lake Whalom in Lunenburg MA. I’m pretty certain we just had a small earthquake at approximately 10:20 AM. It lasted about 5-10 seconds and a pocket door near me was rattling and I could feel the vibration under my feet and my body on my couch. My husband came out of his office right away and asked ‘was that a tremor?’” another viewer wrote.
Maine averages one magnitude 3 or higher earthquake each year.
According to the USGS, earthquakes are not uncommon in the New York City/Philadelphia/Wilmington corridor. Moderately damaging earthquakes strike somewhere in that urban corridor roughly twice a century, and smaller earthquakes are felt roughly every two to three years, the USGS said.
New York City was damaged by earthquakes in 1737 and 1884.
This is a developing story. WCVB will have more details as they are available.
Yesterday afternoon, residents in parts of Massachusetts and New England were shaken up by a moderate earthquake that rattled the region. The 3.6 magnitude quake, centered near the town of Bliss Corner in Dartmouth, MA, was felt by many in surrounding areas.
Did you feel it? Many took to social media to share their experiences of the brief but noticeable shaking. Some reported feeling their homes sway, while others described hearing a loud rumbling noise. Fortunately, no injuries or significant damage have been reported so far.
Earthquakes are relatively rare in this part of the country, but yesterday’s event serves as a reminder that they can happen anywhere. It’s always important to be prepared and know what to do in the event of an earthquake.
Were you affected by the earthquake? Share your experience in the comments below. Stay safe, New England!
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earthquake in Massachusetts, New England, seismic activity, natural disaster, tremor, geological event, New England earthquake, Massachusetts earthquake, rattling earthquake, seismic event, earthquake news, earthquake update.
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