- The earthquake was centered near Paramus, New Jersey.
- Quakes aren’t common in the New York City area.
- Another one shook the region in April.
People in New York and New Jersey reported feeling shaking from a small earthquake Friday.
“I thought it was a large truck passing by, but then my neighbors started texting each other, sharing reports via Ring cameras and Bergen County Facebook groups,” weather.com staffer and Bergen County, New Jersey resident Carmen Molina said.
Molina lives about 20 minutes from where the earthquake was centered near Paramus, New Jersey.
The U.S. Geological Survey gave the quake an initial rating of 2.4 magnitude. It happened just after 1 p.m.
Paramus is about 17 miles north of New York City.
“Quakes are not common in this area, but they do happen and can be quite strong,” weather.com meteorologist and natural disasters expert Orelon Sidney said. “April 2024 saw a quake that was felt in NYC of 4.8.”
Sidney added: “Parts of the Northeast were once covered by glaciers and some thinking is that the ground is rebounding from the weight of those now-melted ice sheets. It’s the glacial rebound theory.”
There were no reports of damage in Friday’s quake.
Some residents also said they felt or heard rattling.
“Did anyone just hear a loud boom that shook their entire house?” one asked on The Bergen County Mom facebook page.
Multiple others replied they felt it, too, in New Jersey communities like Rochelle Park, New Milford and Westwood.
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Weather.com reporter Jan Childs covers breaking news and features related to weather, space, climate change, the environment and everything in between.