Metro

Magnitude-2.2 earthquake rattles parts of New York metro area

Shake and wake!

A 2.2-magnitude earthquake struck the New York metropolitan area early Friday, leaving many around the city jostled awake by the temblor, according to Fox Weather.

The quake hit south of Hastings-on-Hudson in Westchester County at 1:53 a.m. while the rumbling seemed to be concentrated in White Plains, Yonkers and parts of northeastern New Jersey, Fox forecasters told The Post.

As of noon, there were no reports of damage in the area — and little chance of a destructive aftershock, said meteorologist Samantha Thomas.

“There could be an aftershock but not something that would be more intense,” said Thomas. “It was just a little rumble.”

A total of 120 people reported feeling the quake, which struck 6 miles below the earth’s surface.

One resident claimed to have felt the minor earthquake as far away as Danbury, Conn., according to the United States Geological Survey (USGS).

Shocked local residents rushed to Twitter following the rare earthquake.

“DID NEW YORK JUST HAVE AN EARTHQUAKE????? HELLO?,” one Twitter user tweeted.

“When the earthquakes follow you from cali to new york (i woke up to my house lurching at 2 a.m.),” another wrote.

“I think New York just had an earthquake…. Cause my bed was trembling and woke me up,” tweeted another user who reported feeling the quake.

Earthquakes of a magnitude of 3 and below will not usually result in much damage but are strong enough to be felt by those in the affected area, according to the USGS.

A map showing the are where the 2.2 earthquake hit on early Friday morning.
A map showing the area where the 2.2 earthquake hit early Friday. USGS
A view of the New York City skyline with the George Washington Bridge in the foreground and the One Vanderbilt, Empire State Building and One World Trade Center in the background on October 22, 2022 in Hastings-on-Hudson.
The New York City skyline with the George Washington Bridge in the foreground and One Vanderbilt, the Empire State Building and One World Trade Center in the background on Oct. 22, 2022, in Hastings-on-Hudson. Getty Images

Significant destruction usually only occurs when the earthquake’s magnitude is around 5.5 or higher.

In August 2011, a 5.8-magnitude earthquake rattled the East Coast and some Canadian provinces, bringing serious attention to the hazards that may arise in the unsuspecting areas of the US Northeast.

“Damaging earthquakes do not strike the eastern U.S. often, but the potential consequences of not understanding and planning for such events with their widely distributed shaking could be severe,” a top USGS official told the agency in 2021.

The largest recorded earthquake to strike New York was a 5.9 on the New York-Canada border on Sept. 5, 1944, which caused minor damage to surrounding towns, the NESEC reported.

A 3.8-magnitude earthquake struck the suburbs of Buffalo in early February.