4.4-magnitude earthquake hits near Santa Rosa in Northern California, USGS says

SANTA ROSA, Calif. -- A 4.4-magnitude earthquake struck near Santa Rosa in Northern California Tuesday evening, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

The quake struck about 2.4 miles north-northeast of Santa Rosa, according to the USGS, and 7.8 miles southeast of Windsor in Sonoma County.

The quake hit at around 6:39 p.m., according to the USGS.

Less than a minute later there was a 3.9-magnitude aftershock following the initial quake, according to USGS seismologist Austin Elliott. Elliott says the quake occurred on the Rodgers Creek Fault, which is part of the San Andreas Fault system.

The Santa Rosa Fire Department tweeted that crews are responding to reports of "odors of gas, gas leaks, fire alarms as well as stuck elevators." They say there were no immediate reports of injuries.

According to Meteorologist Drew Tuma, an M4.4 would be the strongest Bay Area earthquake in three years. The last one bigger was in 2019 when an M4.5 quake shook the East Bay.

He also says there is only a 6% chance after an earthquake that a larger one will follow in the next 72 hours.