‘Strong’ 4.9 earthquake, aftershocks rock Coachella Valley

Rene Ray De La Cruz, Victorville Daily Press

Tue, January 20, 2026 at 3:43 AM UTC

2 min read

Add Yahoo as a preferred source to see more of our stories on Google.

A series of earthquakes, one considered significant, shook homes and property in the Coachella Valley on Monday.

The strongest temblor, recorded at magnitude 4.9, occurred at around 5:56 p.m., Jan. 19, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, and was centered roughly 11 miles north of Indio, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

The earthquake was felt throughout the Southland, including San Bernardino, Riverside, Los Angeles, Orange and San Diego counties.

A series of earthquakes, one considered significant, shook homes and property in the Coachella Valley on Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

‘Strong, scary, loud’

Several residents described the magnitude 4.9 earthquake as “strong” and “powerful, with college professor and author Ruth Nolan saying it was “strong, scary, loud.”

Others told the Daily Press the shaking lasted about 15 seconds, and was described as a “strong jolt,” and “rolling” motion that rattled property.

Aftershocks included:

At 6:50 p.m., a magnitude 3.5 earthquake was reported 10 miles north-northwest of Indio,
At 6:27 p.m., a magnitude 3.0 earthquake that occurred 12 miles north of Indio.
At 5:57 p.m., magnitude 3.3 and 3.4 quakes occurred roughly 13 miles north of Indio.

There were no reports of damage in Palm Springs, according to Palm Springs Police Department spokesman Gustavo Araiza. Initial reports online did not immediately show damage to other cities in the Coachella Valley, the Desert Sun reported.

Earthquake trio

A trio of earthquakes over the weekend shook parts of Devore and the Northern Mojave Desert.

A magnitude 3.0 earthquake took place at 5:41 p.m. on Sunday, Jan. 18, 5 miles south-southwest of Devore and near Fontana, according to the USGS.

The quake was felt in parts of San Bernardino, Riverside and Los Angeles counties, including the local mountain communities.

The earthquake was near the San Andreas and San Jacinto fault zones.

Earlier that day, the Johannesburg area was struck by a magnitude 2.9 quake at 8:24 a.m. and a magnitude 3.1 quake at 8:21 a.m.

Daily Press reporter Rene Ray De La Cruz may be reached at RDeLaCruz@VVDailyPress.com. Follow him on X @DP_ReneDeLaCruz

This article originally appeared on Victorville Daily Press: ‘Strong’ 4.9 earthquake, aftershocks rock Coachella Valley

About Our Ads

Source