Employment Attorney in Santa Rosa, CA

Santa Rosa, CA – Residents across Santa Rosa should prepare for a return of rain Tuesday morning through the evening as a changing weather pattern moves into Northern California, increasing rain chances and bringing cooler temperatures.

According to the National Weather Service, beneficial rain is expected to begin early Tuesday and continue at times throughout the day and into the evening hours. While exact rainfall totals have not yet been determined, forecasters say the system marks a noticeable shift from recent conditions, with increased rain chances expected through mid-February.

The National Weather Service said it is still too early to determine precise rainfall amounts or the intensity of the showers. However, the developing pattern is expected to bring cooler daytime temperatures and more frequent chances of rain compared to recent days.

Drivers in Santa Rosa and surrounding parts of Sonoma County could see slick road conditions, especially during the morning and evening commute periods on Tuesday. Motorists are urged to allow extra travel time and use caution on local roads and highways if rain develops during peak traffic hours.

The weather system is part of a broader west-to-east flow affecting much of the region, increasing the likelihood of unsettled conditions across the Bay Area. While the rain is expected to be beneficial, residents should remain alert for updated forecasts as timing and impacts become clearer.

Forecasters say additional updates will be issued as confidence increases regarding rainfall amounts and timing. Residents are encouraged to monitor local forecasts and official National Weather Service statements throughout the week.

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SONOMA COUNTY, CA - A 2.3 magnitude quake was detected close to Santa Rosa Wednesday morning, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

The tremor, which shook the area at 6:03 a.m., was centered approximately 4 miles east-southeast of Santa Rosa. It occurred above sea level. Seismologists first reported it as a 2.7 event, but later downgraded it to 2.3.

Did you feel it?

Those who felt the earthquake are encouraged to report it through the USGS Felt Report form. So far, the agency has collected 41 online responses from individuals reporting that they experienced the quake. The USGS DYFI report indicates that several residents in and around the Santa Rosa area experienced weak shaking during the tremor.

Past week's quake

A magnitude 2.9 quake was reported in the area last week; it struck close to Winters seven days ago.

What to know about earthquakes

Magnitude measures the energy released at the source of the earthquake, the U. S. Geological Survey says. It replaces the old Richter scale. Quakes between 2.5 and 5.4 magnitude are often felt but rarely cause much damage, according to Michigan Tech. Earthquakes below 2.5 magnitude are seldom felt by most people.

Earthquakes' sudden, rapid shaking can cause fires, tsunamis, landslides or avalanches. They can happen anywhere, but are most common in Alaska, California, Hawaii, Oregon, Puerto Rico and Washington, according to the Department of Homeland Security.

It is estimated that there are 500,000 detectable earthquakes in the world each year. 100,000 of those can be felt, and 100 of them cause damage.

What to do during an earthquake

If an earthquake strikes, it's best to protect yourself right away. Here are tips from experts:

If you're in a car: Pull over and stop. Set your parking brake.

If you're in bed: Turn face-down and cover your head with a pillow.

If you're outdoors: Stay away from buildings. Don't go inside.

If you're inside: Stay and don't run outdoors. Stay away from doorways.

The best way to protect yourself during an earthquake is to drop, cover and hold on, officials say. "Wherever you are, drop down to your hands and knees and hold onto something sturdy," officials say. "If you're using a wheelchair or walker with a seat, make sure your wheels are locked and remain seated until the shaking stops." Be sure to cover your head and neck with your arms, and crawl under a sturdy table if possible. If no shelter is available, crawl to an interior wall away from windows. Once under a table, officials say you should hold on with one hand and be ready to move with it.

"There can be serious hazards after an earthquake, such as damage to the building, leaking gas and water lines, or downed power lines," officials say. "Expect aftershocks to follow the main shock of an earthquake. Be ready to Drop, Cover, and Hold On if you feel an aftershock."

Source: The U.S. Geological Survey

United Robots California

Parkside Eats will open this spring in Bennett Valley, taking over the former Lepe’s Taqueria space with a California comfort food menu influenced by Mexican flavors.

The recently shuttered Lepe’s Taqueria, a Bennett Valley institution for nearly 30 years, will reopen early this spring as Parkside Eats, according to new owners Hayley Cutri and Efrain Balmes.

The couple, who also own Sonoma Eats in Agua Caliente, are taking a sharp left turn. Sonoma Eats is known for its Oaxacan-style cuisine, rooted in Balmes’ Mexican heritage, but Parkside Eats won’t be a taqueria or strictly Mexican. Instead, they’re rolling out what they describe as “California comfort food,” blending Mexican-influenced favorites like tacos, quesabirria and fresh guacamole, a standout at Sonoma Eats, with burgers, salads, soups, hearty appetizers and fresh juices.

“Californians love Mexican food, and the restaurant will have a lot of Mexican soul and a lot of avocados,” Cutri said, summing up their California approach to comfort cuisine. That also includes a farm-to-cocina ethos, emphasizing local and seasonal ingredients. Cutri said they hope to source from their own farm and other nearby growers. She previously worked at Sonoma Valley’s Flatbed Farm.

The pair is also mindful of the legacy they’ve inherited. Lepe’s owner, Eduardo “Eddie” Lepe, ran the restaurant for decades. Eddie’s sudden death in 2021 left a void in the community that many still feel. His children, Bella, Diego and Matteo, kept the restaurant going for four years before deciding to close in November.

“We will continue being a family-run restaurant that warmly and graciously hosts our neighbors,” Cutri said. “We promised that to the family.”

More details on the menu and an opening date are expected in the coming weeks.

Sonoma Diner opens

The owners of Sebastopol’s Hole in the Wall Cafe (972 Gravenstein Highway S.) and Santa Rosa’s Brother’s Cafe (3135 Cleveland Ave.) have opened Sonoma Diner in Santa Rosa. The four-page all-day menu ranges from morning scrambles and omelets to burgers, sandwiches and crepes. Bigger dinner entrees like fish and chips, chicken piccata and coconut curry are also available. Best breakfast bets are the sticky-crunchy Dutch baby German pancake with caramelized apples and biscuits with mushroom gravy. 52 Mission Circle, Suite 111, Santa Rosa, 707-978-5098, sonomadinersr.com

A 4.2-magnitude earthquake has struck near Cloverdale in central California, shaking nearby Santa Rosa, too, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) said.

The epicenter was around 7.4 miles northeast of Cloverdale and had a shallow depth of just 1.4 miles. The earthquake struck just after midnight local time on Thursday.

Hundreds of Californians reported feeling the tremor to the USGS. No economic losses are expected.

Cloverdale and Santa Rosa are located along the Rodgers Creek Fault, which is part of the larger San Andreas fault system, a highly active seismic region.

California sits atop several major fault systems, most notably the San Andreas Fault, which stretches 750 miles and is responsible for some of the largest quakes in U.S. history.

Other significant faults include the Rodgers Creek, Calaveras, and Hayward faults.

Seismic hazards are intensified in densely populated areas, as more than 70 percent of Californians live within 30 miles of a major fault.

Big Mexico Earthquake Struck Near Acapulco

On Friday, January 2, a strong earthquake registering 6.5-magnitude struck southern Mexico, the USGS said.

The quake struck near the tourist resort of Acapulco—which attracts around 3.5 visitors and tourists every year.

Earthquakes are very common in the region as it sits on the active Middle America Trench where the Cocos Plate slides under the North American Plate, causing regular seismic activity.

This high-risk zone experiences frequent tremors, including significant events, with the area prone to large-magnitude earthquakes due to the powerful plate interactions.

Huge Japan Earthquake Triggers 'Megaquake' Warning

In early December, a 7.6-magnitude earthquake triggered warnings of a 10-feet-high tsunami across the northeastern coast of Japan.

The quake struck at a depth of around 31 miles off the coast of the Aomori Prefecture.

At least 20 people were injured and tens of thousands of people were evacuated from the tsunami warning zones.

There were several strong aftershocks. Experts warned the huge quake could be a sign that a so-called "mega quake" is coming.

Weak magnitude 2.6 earthquake at 3 km depth

Earthquake details

Nearby places

The closest larger town where the quake might have been felt is Cloverdale, a town with 8,800 inhabitants in the United States, in 12.7 km (8 mi) distance west of the epicenter. People likely experienced very weak shaking there. The following table shows some of the places that might have been affected (or not) by the shaking.

User-reports for this quake (3)

So far, we have received 3 reports for this quake from the United States. The quake was reported to have been felt in up to approx. 40 km (25 mi) distance, with isolated cases to have felt the quake even 125 km (78 mi) away.

Most reports came from Ukiah (1 report), a town with 16,000 inhabitants in California in 45 km (28 mi) distance northwest of the epicenter, United States, San Francisco (1 report), a city of 0.8 million people in 125 km (78 mi) distance south of the epicenter, and Cobb (1 report) (13.6 km or 8 mi to the east). Further below is a list of places where most people reported this quake. This section is being updated as new data comes in.

The amount of shaking that occurs on the surface due to an earthquake is called the intensity. It is commonly measured on the so-called Modified Mercalli Intensity Scale (MMI) ranging from 1 (not felt) to 10 (extreme shaking), and given in Roman numerals as I,II,...IX, X, and often displayed with color codes ranging from light blue to dark red.Earthquake intensity depends mainly on the magnitude and depth of the quake as well as the distance from the epicenter: The further away, the less shaking intensity occurs.Read more about the MMI scale!

If you were near the epicenter and felt it, please share your experience and submit a short "I felt it" report! Other users would love to hear about it!If you did NOT feel the quake although you were in the area, please report it as well! Your contribution is valuable to earthquake science and seismic hazard analysis.

Compare Quake Data

The more agencies report about the same quake and post similar data, the more confidence you can have in the data. It takes normally up to a few hours until earthquake parameters are calculated with near-optimum precision.

Based on data from the past 26 years and our earthquake archive back to 1900, there are about 13,000 quakes on average per year in the area near the epicenter of this quake (within 100 km/61 mi):

The area where this quake occurred has a high level of seismic activity. It has had at least 3 quakes above magnitude 5 since 2000, which suggests that larger earthquakes of this size occur infrequently, probably on average approximately every 5 to 10 years.

Previous quakes in the same area of this earthquake

The earthquake occurred 37 seconds after a magnitude 4.2 earthquake had hit on Thursday, Jan 8, 2026, at 12:00 am local time (America/Los Angeles GMT -8) in 1 km (0.6 mi) distance to the south: The largest quake near the epicenter of this quake during the 10 years before was an event of magnitude 7.0. It had occurred 1 year 5 weeks earlier, on Thursday, Dec 5, 2024, at 10:44 am (GMT -8 local time) in California, United States: The strongest-ever (since 1900) recorded quake in this area measured magnitude 7.9. It had occurred 120 years ago earlier, on Wednesday, Apr 18, 1906, at 01:12 pm local time (Universal Time GMT +0) in California, United States: Below is a list and map of larger or recent quakes that had occurred near the epicenter before this earthquake (within up to 100 km/61 mi distance, up to 300 km/183 mi for very large quakes above mag. 7). Filter and sort the list by magnitude or time.

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Time before 30 years

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Oldest quakes are shown in yellow, most recent in red.

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