A preliminary magnitude 5.6 earthquake struck Northern California early Wednesday morning, causing thousands of dollars in merchandise damage and widespread disruptions.
The quake, which hit at 8:10 a.m. in Mendocino County, approximately 7 miles north of Redwood Valley and east of Willits, sent bottles and other products crashing from store shelves. Dramatic video from Upper Lake Grocery in Upper Lake captured the moment the earthquake struck, resulting in wine bottles falling and creating a mess of spilled liquid and shattered glass across aisles.
One store owner reported thousands of dollars in damage, according to ABC7. Employees at Redwood Valley Market noted extensive damage, particularly in the deli section. Residents also reported household items like dishwashers opening unexpectedly and dishes cracking during the shaking.
Footage from businesses in Willits showed aisles littered with fallen merchandise as owners assessed the aftermath. Several grocery stores temporarily closed to allow crews to evaluate the damage.
While some injuries were reported, the Mendocino County Executive Office stated there were no known major damages despite the disruptions. The earthquake was felt across a wide area, with reports of shaking in parts of the Bay Area, extending as far south as San Jose.
Thousands of customers experienced power outages, and some residents also faced interruptions to their water service. Many Californians received a ShakeAlert notification on their phones just before the earthquake, initially warning of a magnitude 6.0 tremor before the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) updated the magnitude to 5.6. Approximately 80,000 people experienced moderate to very strong shaking, while about 10 million people felt light tremors.
Seismologists identified the event as the likely main shock in a sequence of 44 seismic events. The USGS indicated a 77% probability of at least one aftershock measuring magnitude 3.0 or greater within the following week. More than a dozen smaller aftershocks, most below magnitude 2.5, had already been recorded by Wednesday.