Every recorded earthquake within 30 km
Earthquakes near Whittier, CA
No earthquake was likely felt in Whittier in the 24 hours to 1:02 am PDT (08:02 UTC). The last one was M 3.2, 26 km (16 mi) SSW, at 12:44 am PDT on 9 October 2026, estimated intensity II (weak) in town; 1,088 felt reports to USGS.
M 3.2
Latest: 12:44 am PDT on 9 October 2026 · 26 km (16 mi) SSW of Whittier, CA
The most recent earthquake near Whittier was M 3.2, 26 km (16 mi) SSW of Whittier, CA, at 12:44 am PDT on 9 October 2026, 12 km deep. 1,088 people reported feeling it to USGS. The estimated shaking in Whittier was intensity II (weak), felt by some people at rest indoors.
No earthquake of M1.5 or more was recorded within 30 km (19 mi) of Whittier in the last 24 hours.
- Last 24 hours
- 0
- Last 7 days
- 2
- Last 30 days
- 5 · an average 30 days here since 2016: 6.0
- Last 12 months
- 86 · largest M 3.2 on 9 October 2026
- Since 2016
- 789 earthquakes of M1.5 or more within 30 km
- Largest since 2016
- M 4.5 on 18 September 2020, 8 km (5 mi) NNW of Whittier, CA
- Reported felt
- 375 of them have felt reports to USGS
- Nearest mapped fault
- Puente Hills blind thrust system, 6 km from its surface trace
USGS · feed checked · newest earthquake in our database · this page · counts are earthquakes of M1.5 or more within 30 km (19 mi) of the town centre; shaking is estimated for the town centre with the intensity equation USGS Did You Feel It? uses
If you felt one
- Was that an earthquake? — checks what was recorded near you in the last hour
- Report what you felt to USGS — reports go to USGS, not to us, and they are what produces the intensity maps
- Expect aftershocks, and be ready to Drop, Cover, and Hold On if you feel one; if you are in a damaged building, go outside and move away from it (Ready.gov, FEMA; what to do during and after an earthquake)
- Near the coast, go inland or to higher ground as soon as strong shaking stops (Ready.gov); official warnings are on Tsunami.gov
- Earthquakes in California — with the state's activity score
QuakeIndex does not issue warnings or forecasts. For earthquake early warning see ShakeAlert and the MyShake app.
The last 30 days
The latest 50
- 3.2 26 km (16 mi) SSW of Whittier, CA · felt by 1,088
- 1.5 14 km (9 mi) NNE of Whittier, CA
- 1.6 19 km (12 mi) SW of Whittier, CA
- 2.9 21 km (13 mi) SW of Whittier, CA · felt by 516
- 1.6 10 km (6 mi) ESE of Whittier, CA
- 1.7 26 km (16 mi) WSW of Whittier, CA
- 1.6 27 km (17 mi) W of Whittier, CA
- 1.6 27 km (17 mi) W of Whittier, CA
- 1.7 27 km (17 mi) W of Whittier, CA
- 1.8 27 km (17 mi) W of Whittier, CA
- 2.6 25 km (16 mi) W of Whittier, CA · felt by 23
- 1.7 26 km (16 mi) WSW of Whittier, CA
- 1.6 27 km (17 mi) WSW of Whittier, CA
- 1.7 26 km (16 mi) WSW of Whittier, CA
- 1.6 26 km (16 mi) W of Whittier, CA
- 1.7 26 km (16 mi) WSW of Whittier, CA
- 1.9 26 km (16 mi) WSW of Whittier, CA
- 1.6 26 km (16 mi) WSW of Whittier, CA
- 1.6 26 km (16 mi) WSW of Whittier, CA
- 1.6 26 km (16 mi) WSW of Whittier, CA
- 2.2 25 km (16 mi) W of Whittier, CA
- 1.6 26 km (16 mi) WSW of Whittier, CA
- 1.6 27 km (17 mi) WSW of Whittier, CA
- 1.6 26 km (16 mi) WSW of Whittier, CA
- 1.6 26 km (16 mi) WSW of Whittier, CA
- 2.0 26 km (16 mi) WSW of Whittier, CA · felt by 1
- 1.7 26 km (16 mi) W of Whittier, CA
- 2.4 30 km (18 mi) WSW of Whittier, CA
- 2.6 25 km (16 mi) WSW of Whittier, CA · felt by 24
- 1.7 27 km (17 mi) WSW of Whittier, CA
- 1.6 26 km (16 mi) WSW of Whittier, CA
- 1.6 27 km (17 mi) W of Whittier, CA
- 1.6 26 km (16 mi) WSW of Whittier, CA
- 1.9 26 km (16 mi) WSW of Whittier, CA
- 1.6 27 km (17 mi) W of Whittier, CA
- 2.3 26 km (16 mi) WSW of Whittier, CA · felt by 4
- 1.7 27 km (17 mi) WNW of Whittier, CA
- 1.7 27 km (17 mi) W of Whittier, CA
- 2.3 27 km (17 mi) WSW of Whittier, CA
- 1.8 28 km (17 mi) W of Whittier, CA
- 1.6 28 km (17 mi) W of Whittier, CA
- 3.1 21 km (13 mi) SW of Whittier, CA · felt by 1,125
- 1.9 15 km (9 mi) W of Whittier, CA
- 1.7 28 km (17 mi) ENE of Whittier, CA
- 1.6 24 km (15 mi) NW of Whittier, CA
- 1.6 25 km (15 mi) SW of Whittier, CA
- 2.0 15 km (9 mi) ESE of Whittier, CA · felt by 10
- 1.6 8 km (5 mi) WSW of Whittier, CA
- 2.5 27 km (17 mi) WSW of Whittier, CA · felt by 280
- 2.3 19 km (12 mi) SSW of Whittier, CA · felt by 196
From the QuakeIndex database, which reads the USGS feed every 30 seconds and holds the USGS catalogue for the US from 2016 (M1.5+). Times are Whittier time. Distances are from the town centre. Quakes USGS named after Whittier are listed even when they are further out.
Show these earthquakes on your own site: a free card with the latest quakes near Whittier, for a local news site, school or neighborhood page.
On the map
The white circle is Whittier; dots are the 50 most recent earthquakes within 30 km. Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.
Estimated shaking in Whittier
The strongest shaking in Whittier from a quake since 2016 is estimated at intensity IV (light), from the M 4.5 on 18 September 2020, 8 km away. Intensity II and III are felt by some people at rest indoors; IV by most people indoors; V and above wakes sleepers and moves objects.
| Magnitude | When | Distance | Shaking in Whittier (est.) |
|---|---|---|---|
| M 4.5 | 8 km | IV · Light · felt by 21,402 | |
| M 4.4 | 18 km | IV · Light · felt by 24,250 | |
| M 4.4 | 30 km | III · Weak · felt by 6,155 | |
| M 4.3 | 27 km | III · Weak · felt by 10,301 | |
| M 4.0 | 28 km | III · Weak · felt by 7,217 |
An estimate for the town centre from magnitude, depth and distance, with the intensity equation USGS Did You Feel It? uses (Atkinson & Wald, 2007), on the Modified Mercalli scale. All 5 reach intensity II or more in town, where people at rest start to notice. Ground conditions change it street by street. It describes the past, not a hazard.
Before 2016
The USGS record since 1900 lists 14 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km of Whittier; the five largest:
- 6.4 The 1933 Long Beach, California Earthquake · 39 km S of Whittier
- 5.9 The 1987 Whittier Narrows, California Earthquake · 10 km NNW of Whittier
- 5.8 The 1991 Sierra Madre, California Earthquake · 33 km N of Whittier
- 5.5 The 1990 Upland, California Earthquake · 36 km ENE of Whittier
- 5.4 5km S of Chino Hills, CA · 25 km E of Whittier
USGS ComCat, M5+ from 1900 to 2015. This is the record, not a forecast.
Nearest mapped faults
- Puente Hills blind thrust system, 6 km from its surface trace
- Raymond fault, 18 km from its surface trace
- Sierra Madre fault, 20 km from its surface trace
USGS Quaternary Fault and Fold Database. Near is not the same as on.
Nearby towns
South Whittier 3 km · West Whittier-Los Nietos 3 km · Pico Rivera 6 km · Santa Fe Springs 6 km · Hacienda Heights 6 km · La Mirada 7 km · Avocado Heights 7 km · Montebello 7 km
Be ready
Earthquakes cannot be predicted, here or anywhere, so the useful step is the one taken beforehand. The advice below is from the agencies responsible for it.
- Ready.gov: earthquakes (FEMA) — what to do before, during and after, including Drop, Cover, and Hold On
- Build a kit (FEMA) — water, food and supplies for several days; our summary
- USGS: preparedness — the hazard behind the advice, from the agency that records every quake on this page
- The Great ShakeOut — the yearly earthquake drill, with material for homes, schools and workplaces
- ShakeAlert covers Whittier, CA: alerts reach phones through Wireless Emergency Alerts and the MyShake app, seconds before shaking arrives
- Tsunami.gov (NOAA) — the official tsunami warnings for the coast; a quake page here never stands in for one
- California Earthquake Authority — retrofit grants and the state's not-for-profit earthquake insurance
QuakeIndex does not issue warnings or forecasts. For earthquake early warning see ShakeAlert and the MyShake app.