Strongest earthquake in 40 years startles Buffalo, upstate New York

A small earthquake rumbled through Buffalo and western New York Monday morning, alarming people in a region unaccustomed to such shaking but apparently causing no significant damage.

According to the U.S. Geological Survey a 3.8-magnitude earthquake centered east of Buffalo in the suburb of West Seneca at 6:15 a.m. The earthquake occurred nearly 2 miles below the surface. Seismologist Yaareb Altaweel said it was the region's strongest quake in at least 40 years.

The shaking lasted several seconds and sent residents first to their windows and then to social media in search of an explanation.

“It felt like a car hit my house in Buffalo. I jumped out of bed,” Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz tweeted. Erie County emergency services officials confirmed the earthquake was felt in at least a 30-mile radius, including in Niagara Falls, about 20 miles north of Buffalo, he said.

Earthquake Canada, which measured a 4.2 magnitude event, reported it was felt slightly in southern Ontario.

The earthquake comes on the heels of two record-breaking weather events in the Buffalo region: A snowstorm that dropped as much as 7 feet of snow in November and a blizzard in December that is blamed for 47 deaths.

Earthquakes in New York State are not uncommon

The state's largest earthquake was reported on Sept. 5, 1944, with an epicenter near Massena, St. Lawrence County. The 5.8-magnitude earthquake was felt from Canada to Maryland and Indiana to Maine. It did $2 million in damage in Massena and Cornwall, Canada.

It also shook homes in the Rochester area, and some residents who called authorities, but caused no significant damage here. 

A magnitude-5.1 quake centered 45 miles northwest of Ottawa, Canada, caused a rumble in Rochester May 17, 2003.

Among some more recent minor earthquakes in western New York, a 1.2-magnitude temblor shook Le Roy, Genesee County, in August 2022, a 2.6-magnitude earthquake struck near Warsaw, Wyoming County, in March 2022 and a 2.4-magnitude temblor struck the hamlet of Tuscarora in southwestern Livingston County in May 2021.

Associated Press contributed to this report