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An earthquake registering 5.7 on the Richter scale struck the Wasatch Front at 7:09 a.m. Wednesday, the U.S. Geological Survey reported.
The quake was centered 4 miles northeast of Magna, data from the University of Utah Seismograph Stations showed.
A quake intensity map showed the quake could be felt as far as near the Idaho border to the north and Price to the south.
According to tweets from Utah’s Division of Emergency Management, it was the largest earthquake to hit Utah since a 5.9 quake struck St. George in 1992.
As of 8:10 a.m., the USGS reported 17 aftershocks related to the big quake, with the largest being a 4.0.
The Weber School District announced shortly after that all of its schools would be closed Wednesday and lunch was canceled while potential earthquake damage was assessed.
The Ogden School District sent a message to parents asking them to delay coming to schools until further notice so as to assess building safety.
A message on the Davis School District’s website asked people to be understanding if needs weren’t met Wednesday. Building custodians were checking schools for damage.
Weber County Emergency Management said Ogden Canyon was open.
Rocky Mountain Power reported more than 74,000 customers were without power in the Salt Lake Area as of 8:45 a.m.
The tremor also affected the Utah COVID-19 information line, which as taken down while the call center was evacuated, the Utah Department of Health announced.
The Salt Lake City International Airport was closed while damage assessments were conducted.
Gov. Gary Herbert’s office urged people to stay out of the Salt Lake City downtown area while damage is assessed.
At Weber State University, officials said an initial survey showed no major damage.
Layton City reported major institutions such as hospitals were not significantly affected.
Utah Transit Authority reported that due to damage spotted on the line between Salt Lake Central and Murray, trains will be halted and unable to proceed between these two stations until further notice.