Did You Feel It? Minor Earthquake Reported in Upstate NY

Upstate NY Rumble

Upstate New York isn’t exactly known for earthquakes, but some folks in Western New York definitely felt the ground shake Wednesday night.

According to WHEC-TV, the U.S. Geological Survey recorded a 2.3-magnitude earthquake near the Monroe-Ontario County line, just north of Honeoye, about 220 miles west of Albany, at around 8:27 p.m. on Wednesday.

Did You Feel It?

Viewers in the Honeoye and Hemlock areas told the news station that they felt the quake, with the USGS reporting that at least 27 people noticed the shaking. Officials say the seismic activity started about 2.5 miles below the Earth’s surface.

Measuring the Strength of Earthquakes

The good news is that a quake this small is not expected to cause damage. According to earthquake experts, quakes measuring 2.5 or less are usually not felt by most people, though they can still register on seismographs. Once quakes reach the 2.5 to 5.4 range, they’re often felt but generally only cause minor damage.
Read More: Saratoga Springs' Sweet Spots Compete For National Recognition

Still, earthquakes in New York always seem to grab attention because they’re relatively uncommon. Many Upstate residents still remember the stronger quake felt across parts of the Northeast in 2024, and some Rochester-area residents also reported shaking earlier this year following seismic activity in Canada north of Lake Ontario.

According to the report, the strongest earthquake ever recorded in Western New York was a magnitude 4.7 quake centered near Corfu in Genesee County back in 1929.

So if your couch rattled a little Wednesday night, no… it probably wasn’t just somebody hitting another pothole on the Thruway.