3.8 magnitude earthquake hits Buffalo

An earthquake struck near Buffalo, N.Y., early Monday morning.

The U.S. Geological Survey preliminarily reported a 3.8 earthquake centered east of Buffalo in the suburb of West Seneca at about 6:15 a.m. Seismologist Yaareb Altaweel said it was the region’s strongest quake in at least 40 years.

UPDATE: Rare magnitude 3.8 earthquake strikes Buffalo, New York pic.twitter.com/058NpBrNTZ

— BNO News Live (@BNODesk) February 6, 2023

The shaking lasted a few seconds and sent residents to social media.

“It felt like a car hit my house in Buffalo. I jumped out of bed,” Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz tweeted. County emergency services officials confirmed the earthquake was felt in at least a 30-mile radius, including in Niagara Falls, about 20 miles north of Buffalo, he said.

Just off the phone with @ErieCountyESU Dep. Commissioner Butcher who confirmed quake was felt as far north as Niagara Falls and south to Orchard Park from initial reports. It felt like a car hit my house in Buffalo. I jumped out of bed. https://t.co/6viSAUQ4us

— Mark Poloncarz (@markpoloncarz) February 6, 2023

Earthquake Canada, which measured a 4.2 magnitude event, reported it was felt slightly in southern Ontario.

Small earthquakes are not unusual in upstate New York, but rarely are they felt as strongly.

The tremor is believed to have been caused by destabilization in faults across the globe resulting from the 7.8 magnitude quake that hit Turkey and Syria, according to reports. That quake toppled hundreds of buildings and killed more than 1,300 people.

Initial reports show the quake apparently caused no significant damage.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.