Magnitude-7.1 Alaska earthquake cuts power to thousands

By Mark Leberfinger, AccuWeather.com Staff Writer

January 24,2016; 9:05PM,EST

 

 

A major earthquake struck early Sunday morning off the Alaskan coast, the United States Geological Survey said.
The 7.1-magnitude temblor hit at 1:30 a.m. AKST Sunday (5:30 a.m. EST Sunday), the USGS said. The epicenter was located 52 miles east of Old Iliamna, Alaska.

Magnitude-7.1 earthquake strikes near Alaska early Sunday

The earthquake was felt in Anchorage and caused power outages in the region. At least 10,000 customers were without electricity in the Anchorage area on Sunday morning, utilities reported.
Anchorage firefighters responded to numerous reports of gas odors, alarm systems sounding and broken water lines, the department said on its Twitter feed.
Bottles flew off the shelves at the Upper Deck in Kenai, Ala. (Twitter Photo/@LauraPeterkin)
The earthquake caused several outages in Willow and several other feeder outages, especially impacting the Palmer area, the Matanuska Electric Association said on its Facebook page.
RELATED:
RECAP: Blizzard buries mid-Atlantic with feet of snow
Detailed Anchorage weather
AccuWeather VideoWall
No tsunami was expected along the U.S. West Coast or in the Pacific Basin, the National Tsunami Warning Center said on its website. There were at least 15 aftershocks since the major quake, the Alaska Earthquake Center at the University of Alaska, Fairbanks, reported.
Canadian officials also said no tsunami was expected on the British Columbia coast.

Seismographs in Norway picked up the movement from the Alaskan quake, according to a Norwegian seismologist.
"Some light snow showers mixed with rain during the afternoon hours is expected through Monday," AccuWeather Meteorologist Courtney Spamer said.
Any light accumulation before temperatures rise above freezing could cause some slick spots, hindering cleanup efforts.
The largest recorded earthquake in the Anchorage area was a 9.2-magnitude temblor, which generated a massive tsunami in March 1964. More than 130 people died in the earthquake and tsunami.