Expand / Collapse search
☰

By the numbers: Northern California's 6.4 earthquake

By Lisa Fernandez
Updated  December 21, 2022 5:27am PST
California
KTVU FOX 2

62K residents in the dark after Humboldt County earthquake

Tens of thousands of residents in Humboldt County were left in the dark Tuesday evening hours after a powerful earthquake struck the Northern California coast.

FERNDALE, Calif. - Most agree that while the 6.4-magnitude earthquake that violently shook Northern California's Humboldt County on Tuesday was not the "Big One," it still caused enough death and damage to upset grieving families, send crews out to make repairs and rattle nerves. 

Here are some facts about the quake by the numbers:

  • The earthquake struck at 2:34 a.m. near Ferndale, a small community about 210 miles northwest of San Francisco.
  • The epicenter was offshore about 10 miles in the Pacific Ocean.
  • Two people died of medical emergencies during or following the quake. They were 72 and 83 years old.

MORE: Dramatic photos from Humboldt County's 6.4-quake in Northern California

  • At least 12 people were injured, mostly by falling objects.
  • Up to 80 aftershocks were felt.
  • There is a 13% chance that an earthquake greater than 5.0 will occur in the next week.
  • Nearly 3 million people were alerted to the impending quake, 10 seconds before it hit.
  • Roughly 72,000 people were without power for hours after the quake.
  • Three towns were the most affected: Ferndale, Fortuna and Rio Dell.
  • Humboldt County has about 136,000 residents and is in a part of the state that has a long history of large earthquakes, including a magnitude 7.0 in 1980, a 7.2 quake in 1992 and a 6.8 in 2014, according to the California Earthquake Authority. Last year on the same day – Dec. 20 – a 6.2 quake hit in the same area as well.

State Route 211 buckled Ferndale, Calif. following a 6.4 quake. Dec. 20, 2022 

The earth buckled in Ferndale, Calif. following a 6.4 quake. Dec. 20, 2022 

This story was reported in Oakland, Calif.