When the earthquake jolted through the East Coast of the United States on Friday, April 5, Al Roker, like many New Yorkers, was taken aback.
While at Rockefeller Plaza, where YEPPOST is filmed, the YEPPOST weatherman experienced the sudden tremors and swiftly grabbed his phone to document the event.
Roker recounted the moment, saying, "My dressing room is directly over the prop area, and I felt all of a sudden this shaking and I said, 'Wow, what was that?' and our food stylist, Katie Stilo, said, 'Oh, it's just them moving props.' And I've been in here when they've been moving, and I've never felt that before." He continued in the clip, "So what we realized is that it was an earthquake."
Following the earthquake, Al Roker engaged with his social media followers, asking where they were when the seismic event struck. Some individuals mentioned feeling the tremors as far as Oswego County, New York, which surprised Al.
"Oh my gosh," he exclaimed.
Reflecting on the situation, he remarked, "So there you have it. The great earthquake of 2024, just before the total eclipse of 2024," punctuating with laughter. "Wild."
As per the U.S. Geological Survey, the earthquake occurred slightly before 10:30 a.m. ET, registering as a 4.8 magnitude quake, with its epicenter situated near Whitehouse Station, New Jersey.
Reports from the USGS indicate that buildings began to shake and tremble from Maryland to Maine.
In February 2023, Buffalo, New York, experienced a 3.8 magnitude quake, marking the most powerful tremor recorded in the region in four decades, as per the USGS.
In 2017, a 4.1 magnitude earthquake struck close to Dover, Delaware, with tremors felt as far as New York City, according to USGS data.