A magnitude 4.8 earthquake shook the northeastern United States on Friday morning.
The earthquake was felt from Boston down to Baltimore at 10:23 a.m. ET, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.
In New York City, where tremors were felt for more than 30 seconds, there were no immediate reports of injuries or damage, but the quake triggered numerous delays and temporary closures of transportation infrastructure in the area.
The epicenter of the quake was detected about 45 miles west of New York City, and 40 miles east of Allentown, Pennsylvania, in an area north of Whitehouse Station, New Jersey, according to the USGS.
Earthquakes of Friday’s magnitude are relatively rare in the northeastern U.S., and the intensity and duration of Friday’s quake startled people around the region.
“Everyone @NYSE just gave each other a big look,” CNBC’s Carl Quintanilla tweeted from the New York Stock Exchange in lower Manhattan after the tremors occurred.
“I am fine,” the Empire State Building’s X account tweeted.
The National Tsunami Warning Center said there was no danger of a tsunami on the east coast after the quake. The USGS said there was a 46% likelihood of another earthquake of magnitude 3.0 or greater in the next week.
The Federal Aviation Administration is inspecting runways at the three major airports in New York City and Newark, New Jersey. As of 11:34 ET, a ground stop, which halts flights bound for that airport at origin, remained in place at Newark Liberty International Airport.
United Airlines, which dominates the Newark airport, in a statement, said, that two United flights were diverted from Newark because of the ground stop there, and there were some minor delays in flights bound to JFT and LaGuardia airports in New York.
The carrier offered travelers booked to fly the chance to change their Newark, LaGuardia or Philadelphia flights without paying fees or a difference in fare if they can travel as late as next Thursday.
New Jersey Transit said its commuter rail service is subject to systemwide delays of up to 20 minutes.
The Port Authority for New York and New Jersey, which operates Hudson River crossings, said the Holland Tunnel connecting lower Manhattan to New Jersey was temporarily closed to traffic inspection.
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul in a tweet said, “My team is assessing impacts and any damage that may have occurred, and we will update the public throughout the day.”
President Joe Biden has been briefed on the earthquake and is in touch with his staff who are monitoring potential impacts, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said.
New York City’s emergency alert city pushed out a warning to cell phones at around 11:46 a.m. ET warning that “aftershocks may be felt,” but added, “NYers can continue usual activities.”
Source Agencies
