Hurriquake in California: What is a hurriquake and can it wipe out cities?

People in California’s Ojai witnessed a 5.1 magnitude earthquake followed by a tropical storm called Hilary. The combination of both was called a ‘Hurriquake’

Outlook International Desk

Updated on: 26 August 2023 5:01 pm

Hurriquake in California (Representational Image)

The city of Ojai in California witnessed a massive 5.1 earthquake on August 20, 2023. With this recent weather phenomenon, a new term has been coined that combines two extreme weather phenomena. The term "hurriquake" began trending on X (formerly known as Twitter), after Hurricane Hilary brought an earthquake to California. Merriam-Webster has also acknowledged that a new term has emerged.

What does the term 'Hurriquake' mean?

In the modern age, the phenomenon of a hurricane and an earthquake happening together is infrequent. However, Ojai witnessed this rare phenomenon when a 5.5 magnitude earthquake rattled the city followed by a Tropical Storm Hilary making its landfall.

Mother Nature was in her full fury as the hurricane wreaked havoc in different areas of the city. Several people experienced water logging while returning to Sacramento from their southern districts. Meanwhile, Southern California was drenched by record-breaking rainfall from Tropical Storm Hilary, which forced the closure of schools, roads, and businesses before moving into Nevada on Monday. Meanwhile, as per the National Weather Service, many records for daily rainfall amounts were broken in Los Angeles

Soon after the natural calamity struck the city of Ojai, users on X came up with the name 'Hurriquake' to define the situation. Several people took to X and said that the Ojai people experienced two natural calamities together making it called a 'Hurriquake'.

The downpour from the Hilary storm transformed roads into impassable waterways. Just as the residents of the Ojai city were gearing up for the tropical storm 'Hilary', an earthquake measuring 5.1 on the Richter scale shook southern California's Ojai town.

Although the earthquake was felt throughout the region, there have been no major reports of damage, which gives a sense of understanding that hurriquake does not have the potential to wipe out a city.

In addition to California, the Hawaiian island of Maui also experienced a major disaster, as a deadly wildfire forced thousands of people to seek emergency shelter.