Columbus
Ohio
Top Stories
Weather News
24 dead in Texas, 25 girls from Camp Mystic missing in flooding
5 hours ago
Hurricane
Chantal to make landfall in South Carolina Sunday morning
3 hours ago
Severe Weather
Severe weather to rumble in the central US through the holiday weekend
8 hours ago
Severe Weather
Storms kill 3 in New Jersey, knock out power across Northeast
1 day ago
Weather Forecasts
Heat, humidity return to the East
16 minutes ago
Featured Stories
Weather News
Wildfires are tearing through a popular tourist hotspot in Greece
1 day ago
Weather News
‘Shark Whisperer’ swims its way into our shark obsession
20 hours ago
Travel
Fourth of July gas hasn’t been this cheap since 2021
4 days ago
Weather News
What makes fireworks burst with vibrant colors?
20 hours ago
Health
There is no safe amount of processed meat to eat, new research shows
2 days ago
...
...
News / Weather News
5.8 magnitude earthquake strikes California, shaking felt in L.A. and Vegas
By Chaffin Mitchell, AccuWeather staff writer
Published Jun 24, 2020 7:32 PM EDT
A 5.8 earthquake in California caused rockfall on this mountain near Lone Pine, California, on June 24. Dust clouds formed from the rocks falling in the slopes.
A magnitude 5.8 earthquake shook California on Wednesday morning around 10:40 a.m. PDT. The epicenter was located just miles away from the town of Lone Pine on the eastern side of the Sierra Nevada.
The shallow earthquake was so powerful that people felt it as far away as Las Vegas, Los Angeles, San Diego and Sacramento, according to the USGS. Some people received an early warning when an emergency alert told residents to "Drop, Cover, Hold On. Expect shaking now,” according to KRON-TV.
Over 10,000 people reported feeling the quake just minutes after it was recorded on the U.S. Geological Survey's web tracker.
Rock slides were reported along the eastern slopes of the Sierra near the epicenter, including areas near Whitney Portal, a popular hiking destination just west of Lone Pine.
Access to Whitney Portal was closed following the quake, and people were told to evacuate the area.
More than 200 aftershocks were recorded in the area ranging from magnitude 1.0 to 4.6.
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FREE ACCUWEATHER APP
In 1872, a 7.4 magnitude earthquake struck the same area — one of the biggest in California's history, according to Visalia Times-Delta. The powerful earthquake killed 27 people and injured 57 more. Fortunately, Wednesday's seismic event was less severe, and no major damage or ground failure has been recorded by the USGS.
Keep checking back on AccuWeather.com and stay tuned to the AccuWeather Network on DirecTV, Frontier and Verizon Fios.
Report a Typo