A 4.8-magnitude earthquake rattled Hundterdon County, N.J., about 45 minutes ago:
The U.S.G.S. reported that the earthquake’s epicenter was in Lebanon, N.J., about 50 miles west of Manhattan. The shaking was reportedly felt in cities from Philadelphia to Boston.
Several East Coast airports issued ground stops halting air traffic in the immediate aftermath.
The New York Police Department said it had no immediate reports of damage, but sirens could be heard all over the city.
Having experienced a couple of magnitude 4+ earthquakes in California, I know how alarming they are, but also how minor. So it's funny to me watching New York and Philadelphia freak out over this little thing in the same way that it amused me when Raleigh, N.C., got 10 mm of snow while I was there. Even moreso because, according to the USGS, the earthquake hit Manhattan with something like a 3.0 magnitude or less—about the shaking you get from a trip on the #7 Subway.
I especially like the Times reporting that "sirens could be heard all over the city," which, if you've ever spent half an hour in New York, seems akin to "trees could be seen all over the forest."
I hope everyone in the affected region safely rights their lawn chairs and stops their hanging plants from swinging before too long.