Yes, that was a magnitude-2.2 earthquake in New York today
We usually leave the earthquake watch to our brethren out in Los Angeles, but New York got a shake-up of its own in the early morning of Friday, May 19.
Hot off the scary news that NYC is sinking under its own weight, a 2.2-magnitude earthquake struck the New York metropolitan area early Friday, hitting about a mile south Hastings-on-Hudson in Westchester County around 2am, per the United States Geological Survey (USGS). The rumblings reportedly could be felt in the lower areas of Hudson Valley, parts of northeastern New Jersey, and around White Plains and Yonkers.
Per social media, it was apparently close enough that people in the boroughs felt a little planetary shimmy-shake, with residents taking to Twitter to question whether the tremors were, indeed, an actual earthquake.
ok need to apologize to the cat for thinking he made some super weird grumbly noise in his sleep last night cuz apparently it was an EARTHQUAKE??? in nyc?!?!?
— s i m o n e 👻 (@sim1cam) May 19, 2023
Never thought I’d feel an earthquake in NYC lol, even if it was only 2.2.
— Ale (@ale_bomaye) May 19, 2023
not sure if anyone else just felt an earthquake in nyc but holy sh*t.
— nikki bikki (@nikkiii_x0) May 19, 2023
Another Twitter user commented, adding in a reply: “The last time i felt an earthquake here was like 10+ years ago /: never happens.”
Despite the seeming unlikeliness of an earthquake being felt in New York City, it has actually happened before, and not all that long ago: back in November 2017, the tremors from a 4.1-magnitude earthquake in Delaware were felt in parts of NYC.
Though experiencing quakes firsthand can definitely feel like a scary situation, luckily there was no immediate reports of damage due to today’s earthquake. Per the USGS, earthquakes of a magnitude of 3 and below will not usually result in much damage or, worse, casualties; that’s more often the case with earthquake magnitudes measured around 5.5 or higher. For reference, the largest recorded earthquake to strike New York State was a 5.9 up near the border of Canada on September 5, 1944, per the NESEC.