A magnitude 7.0 earthquake struck off the northern coast of California on Thursday, leading to a tsunami warning that was later canceled for much of the California and Oregon coastlines, officials reported.
Initially, approximately 4.7 million residents across California and Oregon were placed under a tsunami warning before it was lifted, according to the National Weather Service.
The quake occurred at a shallow depth of 10 kilometers (6.2 miles) and was centered roughly 39 miles (63 kilometers) west of Ferndale, a lightly populated area on California’s northern coast, the U.S. Geological Survey stated.
The National Tsunami Center had issued a warning covering a significant portion of the U.S. West Coast, extending from Dunes City, Oregon, to areas as far south as San Francisco and San Jose, California, about 400 miles (643 kilometers) away.
In response to the warning, the City of Berkeley’s police department issued an evacuation order for sections of West Berkeley near San Francisco Bay, cautioning residents about an incoming tsunami, according to a public alert.
Humboldt County experienced widespread power outages, with about 19,000 customers left without electricity, a sharp rise from zero outages reported before the earthquake, per data from PowerOutage.us.
Governor Gavin Newsom’s office shared on social media that the governor had convened with state emergency officials to ensure the safety of Californians following the earthquake.
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