An earthquake with a local magnitude of 3.3 on the Richter scale shook Prespa yesterday at 14:04. According to the Seismological Observatory at the Faculty of Natural Sciences and Mathematics in Skopje, the epicentre was in the Prespa epicentral area, about 127 kilometres southwest of Skopje.

The tremor was felt by residents of Bitola and the surrounding area, where the intensity was III to IV on the European Macroseismic Scale. The difference matters: magnitude measures the strength of the earthquake itself, while intensity measures how strongly it was felt in a given place. At those levels, according to the scale, the shaking is felt by people indoors, with no damage to buildings.

This isn't the first tremor this month. In September the Observatory recorded several quakes felt in the southwest of the country, including a 2.9-magnitude earthquake on 24 September that was felt in Bitola, Resen and the surrounding area.

The Observatory is asking anyone who felt the earthquake to call 112, so their reports can be used for seismological research. A small quake - but a reminder that Prespa is a seismically active area.