Fox Weatherman Calms Patriots Fans' Nerves About Bay Area Earthquake

While the New England Patriots are gearing up for their next Super Bowl appearance and their first since 2018, a last minute wrench might have been thrown into the mix.

A 4.2-magnitude earthquake struck in Southern California yesterday, where the Super Bowl is set to be played. The initial quake's epicenter was just south of San Ramon, California, with another string of earthquakes following throughout the day. The first earthquake, which came in at a 3.8, hit San Ramon around 6:27 a.m. PT. Two minutes later, the same area was hit by a 3.3 earthquake. That quake was followed by a swarm of 20 smaller earthquakes. The earthquakes were strong enough that it was felt throughout the the Bay Area.

Both the Seattle Seahawks and Patriots arrived on Feb. 1, with the Patriots currently residing in a hotel in Santa Clara. The hotel was located about 35 miles from the epicenter of the biggest earthquake that hit.

It is not yet clear whether the earthquakes had any impact on either the Seahawks or the Patriots, however Fox Weather's Ian Oliver said fans should not worry too much.

"It was minor for the Bay Area," Oliver said to New England Patriots On SI in an exclusive. "I don't think it was really too, too much out of the ordinary. This is out West, it's something that's part of life out there. It was their first earthquake in several weeks, but they've had dozens of quakes there since November ... it was probably just some pressure."

Oliver has been with Fox Weather since 2021 and previously served as the weekend evening and midweek daytime meteorologist for WFLA-TV, where he covered numerous severe weather systems. He is also a big Patriots fan and has contributed his thoughts to New England Patriots On SI before — as recently as discussing January's winter storm.

Patriots Continue Super Bowl Prep Despite Recent Earthquakes

While the earthquakes were minor, they were large enough that the Bay Area's train system (BART) had to start running its trains at reduced speeds so that BART employees could conduct various inspections of the tracks, causing delays.

Attention Passengers: An earthquake occurred within the area serviced by BART. Trains are running at reduced speeds while we complete safety track inspections. Please expect residual delays of up to 20 minutes systemwide.
— BART Alert (@SFBARTalert) February 2, 2026

Despite the recent earthquakes, the Pats are still very much looking forward to their 12th Super Bowl appearance. New England is currently tied with the Pittsburgh Steelers for the league record in Super Bowl victories with six.

In addition, the Patriots now have the possibility to join the Boston Celtics as a New England team with the most championship wins in their league.

The Patriots and quarterback Drake Maye most recently participated in a very crowded media night for the Super Bowl less than 24 hours ago, indicating all is well following the recent series of earthquakes.

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