WeatherFanatics: PHOTOS: Magnitude 6.0 Earthquake Strikes Near San Francisco

Sunday, August 24, 2014

PHOTOS: Magnitude 6.0 Earthquake Strikes Near San Francisco

By Kristina Pydynowski, Senior Meteorologist

August 24,2014; 10:40PM,EDT

See larger image below.

More than 170 people were injured, including three critically, after a 6.0-magnitude earthquake rocked the San Francisco Bay area on Sunday morning.
The temblor, the strongest to hit the region since the 6.9-magnitude quake that occurred during the 1989 World Series, caused significant damage.
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) reports the earthquake occurred at 3:20 a.m. PDT Sunday, 4 miles northwest of American Canyon, California. That puts the epicenter near the Napa Valley, roughly 40 miles northeast of San Francisco and 51 miles west-southwest of Sacramento.
California Gov. Jerry Brown declared a state of emergency, due to the effects of the earthquake.
In the Napa Valley, there have been incidents of damaged roads and structures. Dozens of water mains were broken. There were multiple reports of items knocked off of shelves. Some fragile items in homes and businesses were broken.
At least 100 homes and businesses were declared inhabitable, The Associated Press reported.
Six homes were destroyed by fire in Napa, while another two were damaged, the City of Napa said on its website. More than 60 water leaks were reported and 33 buildings were red-tagged by codes officials.
Pacific Gas and Electric reported a peak electrical outage count of more than 70,000 customers. As of 5:15 p.m. PDT Sunday, service had been restored to 62,500 customers.

According to a report issued by the Northern California Seismic System (NCSS), shortly after the quake, there is a 54 percent chance of a strong aftershock within the next week. The report stated there was a 5 to 10 percent chance of a quake equal or stronger in strength to the main shock within the next week. Minor aftershocks of quake of this magnitude are common.
Six aftershocks greater than 2.5 magnitude have occurred since the morning earthquake, according to the USGS.
The USGS ShakeMap estimates that perceived shaking would have been severe in the vicinity of the epicenter. Such shaking is capable of causing moderate to heavy damage. Shaking from the earthquake was less severe around San Francisco.
Caltrans sent as many as 20 engineers to Napa County to access infrastructure including roads, bridges, pipelines and rail lines, and also dispatched divers to examine Bay Area toll bridges, the agency said.
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For any cleanup efforts, dry conditions will continue across the Bay Area for the foreseeable future.

A mailbox is all that remains of one of six homes destroyed in a gas fire Sunday, Aug. 24, 2014, at the Napa Valley Mobile Home Park, in Napa, California. A large earthquake caused significant damage and left at least three people critically injured in California's northern Bay Area early Sunday. (AP Photo/Ben Margot)

The quake left damage behind in this resident's home. Fortunately, he was unharmed. (Photo/Twitter user @Bmet7)
AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Alex Sosnowski and Staff Writer Mark Leberfinger contributed content to this story.