Published Sunday, September 27, 2026 at 12:54 PM PT

Burbank · Sunday, September 27, 2026 · 12:54 PM · 91°F, 39% humidity, wind 0 mph N (gusts 2), 29.32 inHg, UV 0, PM2.5 11

A 3.6 magnitude earthquake struck off Hermosa Beach Sunday afternoon around 12:45 PM PT and was felt across much of the Los Angeles area, including Burbank, the San Gabriel Valley, and surrounding communities. The epicenter was located approximately 10 miles south-southwest of Hermosa Beach in the Pacific Ocean, according to early USGS data.

Residents across LA County reported feeling the jolt—nothing violent, but unmistakable. That momentary roll or sharp movement you felt if you’re on the west side or near the coast? That was it. No major damage has been reported so far, and there are no evacuation orders or warnings in effect, but officials are still assessing whether the quake caused any structural damage or injuries.

What you should do right now: check in on yourself and anyone near you, especially elderly relatives or those with mobility issues who might have been knocked off balance. If you’re in the Hermosa Beach, Manhattan Beach, or South Bay area directly above the epicenter, do a quick walk-through of your home or building looking for obvious damage—cracked walls, broken glass, gas smell (if you smell gas, get out and call 911). The LA County Fire Department and local police are monitoring reports. If you experienced any injury or see structural damage, call 911. Otherwise, stay alert for aftershocks—they’re common after even modest earthquakes, though most will be too small to feel.

USGS doesn’t expect this magnitude of quake to produce significant tsunami activity, but the National Weather Service and Long Beach Harbor Patrol will continue monitoring the coast as a precaution. If you’re near the beach and feel unsafe, move inland to higher ground; otherwise, this is not a tsunami situation.

For the technically minded in the audience (and I know there are a few of you), this is a relatively modest seismic event—3.6 is well below the 5.0 threshold where widespread damage typically begins. The South Bay and outer LA basin sit in an active seismic zone thanks to the Newport-Inglewood Fault and other regional structures, so the occasional little reminder from the Earth isn’t shocking. Southern California gets a few hundred earthquakes every year; most are so small nobody notices them. This one was just big enough to be noticeable and not big enough to worry about, which is frankly the sweet spot for earthquake awareness without panic.

If you’re monitoring USGS or local seismic networks on your phone, you’ll probably see a cascade of refinements over the next few hours—magnitude gets adjusted, depth gets recalculated—that’s normal. The first report is never the final word.

Aftershock probability is real but modest: expect maybe one or two small ones in the next few hours, possibly a few more over the next couple days. None are likely to exceed the main shock in magnitude. If another one does hit and it’s noticeably stronger, follow the same procedure—check in, look for damage, report if necessary.

Stay hydrated, stop doom-scrolling if you’re the type to spiral on earthquake news (I get it, but it’s Sunday and you’ve got laundry and life to attend to), and let your nervous system settle down. This wasn’t the Big One. It was the Little One, which is exactly what we want.

Keep your phone charged and your emergency kit accessible—not because of today, but because living in Southern California means you should always have one anyway. That’s just responsible LA living at this point.