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The National Weather Service (NWS) in Miami dismissed any tsunami threat for Florida this Monday following the magnitude earthquake recorded west of Cuba, which shook the western part of the island and was felt across much of the state.
The earthquake occurred at 18:00:34 UTC (2:00 p.m. local time) with its epicenter in the sea, in the Yucatán Channel, northwest of the province of Pinar del Río.
NWS Miami confirmed that "tremors have been felt across much of Florida following the 6.1 magnitude earthquake just west of Cuba" and emphasized that "no tsunami threat is expected from the earthquake."
The United States Geological Survey (USGS) recorded the earthquake with a magnitude of 6.1 and located the epicenter about 65 miles west-northwest of Mantua, Cuba.
On its part, the National Center for Seismological Research of Cuba (CENAIS) adjusted the magnitude to 6.2 Mw, located the epicenter 142 km northwest of Minas de Matahambre, Pinar del Río, and reported a depth of 20 km.
Initial preliminary estimates placed the magnitude at 6.5 before being revised downward.
The earthquake was felt with particular intensity in Pinar del Río and Havana and across the entire western region of Cuba.
As it crossed the Florida Strait, the tremor reached Miami, Jacksonville, Tampa, Orlando, Naples, Fort Myers Beach, Bradenton, Port Charlotte, West Palm Beach, Tallahassee, and even Kingsland, in Georgia.
Several Florida residents described the experience. "I felt it in Boca. The TV was shaking. Crazy!" said Lindy Nanni from Boca Raton. Amy Polito Rivera noted that "my eight-story building felt like it was swaying," while Falcon Hunter, from Sanibel, remarked that "the tremor lasted 30 seconds" and he was "about to leave the house."
As a precaution, multiple buildings in Miami were evacuated following the event, according to reports from NBC Miami. The NWS of San Juan also ruled out any tsunami risk for Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
Meteorologist Matt Devitt characterized the event as "the second-largest earthquake ever recorded in the Gulf of Mexico," which explains its widespread perceptibility in the region.
At the time of the initial reports, no material damages or casualties were reported in Cuba or Florida.
This earthquake is the second major quake of the year in Cuba. The 6.0 magnitude earthquake that shook the eastern part of the island on March 17, with its epicenter in Imías, Guantánamo, generated more than 900 aftershocks in 24 hours and caused damage to homes.
The western region of Cuba has historically recorded less seismic activity than the eastern region, and the most recent comparable event in that area was a 6.0 magnitude earthquake on April 16, 2020 with its epicenter southwest of Sandino, Pinar del Río, which did not cause any damage.
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