Earthquake alerts

Earthquakes near you, with the part that matters to you.

Magnitude on its own tells you about the earthquake. Forecast Bar's alerts tell you about your situation: how far away it was, and how strongly it was likely to be felt where you are.

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Free 24-hour access, then optional subscription with 7-day trial. Mac and iOS plans are separate; Apple TV is included with Forecast Bar Gold on iOS.

USGSOfficial seismic source
DistanceFrom you, not just the epicentre
IntensityPredicted shaking at your location
TunableMagnitude and radius thresholds

Earthquake alerts in Forecast Bar, in short

Source
The United States Geological Survey (USGS) real-time earthquake feed.
What the alert says
Magnitude, the place name, how far the epicentre was from you, and the shaking intensity likely to have been felt at your location.
Thresholds
Automatic mode picks sensible limits for you, or set your own minimum magnitude and maximum distance.
Where it works
Worldwide — the USGS feed is global.
Not an early-warning system
These are notifications about earthquakes that have already been detected and located, not seconds-ahead shaking warnings.
Plan
Earthquake alerts are part of Forecast Bar Gold on iOS and Pro on Mac.
Forecast Bar alert settings on iPhone showing earthquake notifications alongside other custom alerts
Magnitude isn't the whole story

A M5.8 four hundred miles away isn't news. A M4.1 nearby is.

Most earthquake alerts lead with magnitude, which is a property of the earthquake rather than of your day. Forecast Bar's alerts lead with distance and predicted shaking intensity at your location — the two numbers that determine whether you felt it and whether it mattered.

  • Distance from the epicentre to you, in your units
  • Predicted shaking intensity where you are
  • Magnitude and nearest place name
  • A link through to the full USGS event page
macOS Notification Center showing a stack of Forecast Bar alerts
Your threshold, your radius

Automatic limits, or exactly the ones you want.

If you live somewhere seismically active, a default set for the rest of the world will bury you. Automatic mode adapts sensible limits for you; manual mode lets you set a minimum magnitude and a maximum distance and never hear about anything outside them.

  • Automatic mode with sensible defaults
  • Or set your own minimum magnitude
  • And your own maximum distance from your location
  • Quiet hours apply, as they do to every routine alert

An honest note: this is not earthquake early warning.

Systems like ShakeAlert give you seconds of warning before shaking arrives by detecting the fast-moving P-wave. Forecast Bar does not do that, and no app that relies on a standard push notification can.

What Forecast Bar's earthquake alerts are good for is the minutes and hours afterwards: what just happened, how far away, how hard it likely shook where you are, and whether the aftershocks are getting closer. If you're in a high-risk area, keep your region's official early-warning alerts enabled too.

FAQ

Questions about earthquake alerts

Does Forecast Bar send earthquake notifications?
Yes. Forecast Bar monitors the USGS real-time earthquake feed and notifies you about events near your location, including magnitude, distance from you, and the shaking intensity likely felt where you are.
Can I control which earthquakes I hear about?
Yes. Automatic mode applies sensible thresholds, or you can switch to manual and set your own minimum magnitude and maximum distance.
Is this an earthquake early warning system?
No. Forecast Bar notifies you about earthquakes that have already been detected and located by the USGS — it does not provide seconds-ahead shaking warnings like ShakeAlert. Keep your region's official early-warning alerts enabled.
Do earthquake alerts work outside the United States?
Yes. The USGS feed is global, so earthquake alerts work worldwide.
How much does Forecast Bar cost?
You get free 24-hour access to everything — no card, no account. After that there is an optional subscription with a 7-day trial, and current pricing is shown in the App Store. Mac and iOS plans are separate; Apple TV is included with Forecast Bar Gold on iOS. See Compare Plans for what each tier includes.
Forecast Bar app icon

Know what just shook, and how close it was.

Try earthquake alerts free for 24 hours.

Download on theApp Store Download on theMac App Store

Free 24-hour access, then optional subscription with 7-day trial. Mac and iOS plans are separate; Apple TV is included with Forecast Bar Gold on iOS.

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