6.1 earthquake off Cuba shakes Florida, no tsunami threat reported
A 6.1 quake off Cuba rattled Florida from Miami to Jacksonville, but tsunami centers issued no threat and officials reported no major damage.
An offshore earthquake near Cuba sent tremors across Florida, but the episode quickly turned into a near-miss rather than a disaster. The U.S. Geological Survey said the magnitude 6.1 quake struck at 2:00 p.m. Eastern on Monday, June 8, 2026, about 104 kilometers, or roughly 65 miles, west-northwest of Mantua, Cuba, at a depth of 10 kilometers. It was first reported as a magnitude 6.4 event before being downgraded, adding to the confusion in the opening minutes.
Reports of shaking came in from Miami, Tampa, Orlando, St. Petersburg, Tallahassee and near Jacksonville, showing how widely a Caribbean quake can be felt across the peninsula. A U.S. Geological Survey felt map showed more than 100 responses from people in St. Petersburg and more than 100 in Tampa. Local accounts and Associated Press reporting also said buildings shook in Havana and beyond, but no injuries or deaths were immediately reported.
The most important public-safety question was whether the quake could drive a wave toward Florida. The U.S. Tsunami Warning Centers answered that directly, issuing a message of “No Tsunami Warning, Advisory, Watch, or Threat” for the Cuba-region earthquake. The National Weather Service in Miami said there was no tsunami threat in South Florida, a rapid reassurance that helped limit the event to a brief scare rather than a regional emergency.
For Florida, the quake was another reminder that seismic alerts now matter even for an earthquake that starts outside U.S. territory. The state does not live with frequent shaking, but it regularly has to rely on fast federal monitoring, clear emergency messaging and public awareness to decide whether a distant Caribbean event is only felt or also dangerous. Florida coverage has pointed to earlier tremors felt in South Florida, including a 7.7 quake in 2020 and a 4.0 offshore Florida quake in 2024, underscoring that the peninsula sits within range of far-off seismic activity even when the ground itself rarely moves.
This article was produced by Prism’s automated news system from verified source data, official records, and press releases, then run through automated quality and moderation checks before publishing. The system is built and supervised by the people who set the standards it runs under. Read our full AI policy.
Know something we missed? Have a correction or additional information?
Submit a Tip
