Earthquake of magnitude 5.6 strikes northern California region, USGS says — alert ‘scared the life out of me’

Published 24 June 2026 · us

A magnitude 5.6 earthquake struck Mendocino County in northern California on Wednesday, according to the US Geological Survey. Tremors were felt in Sacramento and San

A magnitude 5.6 earthquake struck Mendocino County in northern California on Wednesday, according to the US Geological Survey. Tremors were felt in Sacramento and San Francisco, Fox News reported. The quake, which struck about 11 kilometers (6.9 miles) north of Redwood Valley, had a depth of 8.1 km, the USGS said. The epicentre of the quake, with a preliminary magnitude of 5.6, was about 140 miles (225 kilometres) northeast of San Francisco, according to the US Geological Survey. It was felt widely, including in the fishing city of Fort Bragg. The initial quake was centred inland about 50 miles (80 kilometres) east of Fort Bragg at 8:10 am local time, and the US Geological Survey said it was about 5 miles (8 kilometres) deep. There were no immediate reports of damage and Reuters witnesses in the San Francisco Bay area, about 240 km south of Mendocino County, did not report any shaking.

California Governor Gavin Newsom had been briefed on the earthquake, his office said on X, adding that it was coordinating with emergency officials and assessing potential impacts and damage. Meanwhile, the Tsunami Warning Center said, “NO tsunami, NO danger from a recent earthquake. Duty Scientists analyzed the event at 0815 PDT Jun 24: M5.6 - 115 mi NW of Sacramento." The San Francisco Department of Emergency issued an advisory, saying that when the shaking starts, drop, cover and hold on. ‘Scared the life out of me’ Several residents received an earthquake alert on their phones. The USGS said the ShakeAlert Earthquake Early Warning System was Activated. “…Nearly 657,000 Earthquake Early Warning alerts were sent by the MyShake App,” the California Governor's Office of Emergency Services posted on X. “That earthquake alert just scared the life out of me and my sleep,” an X user said while sharing a screenshot of the alert on social media.

Another user said, “Just got a magnitude 6 earthquake warning but I don’t feel anything in San Mateo.” Anoher claimed, “OK, wow — my phone gave me an earthquake warning 20 seconds before I felt any shaking.” Fawnell Dale, a dispatch supervisor at the Mendocino County Sheriff's Office, described the shaking as mild and said they haven't gotten any reports of any damage or injuries. Workers at Mendocino Coast Pharmacy were getting ready to open for the day when they all got quake alarms on their cellphones. "We looked at our phones, then we looked at each other, and that's when we felt it," said Angie, who declined to give her last name. She described it as a rolling shake that lasted just a few seconds. "It wasn't that big, but it was a little scary," she said.