Daily Earthquakes, Storms, Fires & Floods Report — November 6, 2026

By Paul Harrison, Orbis Weather · Nov 6, 2026

At a glance

Record flash flooding on the Georgia–Tennessee line was the day’s main story, while earthquakes, storms and fires stayed mostly quiet. This report covers the 24 hours from 7:22 a.m. EST Thursday, November 5, to 7:22 a.m. EST Friday, November 6, 2026 (12:22 UTC to 12:22 UTC).

• Floods: The Ocoee River set an all-time record at Copperhill, Tennessee, and swift-water teams rescued dozens of people around McCaysville, Georgia. No deaths had been reported in the pages reviewed.
• Earthquakes: Eleven quakes of magnitude 4.5 or more, including two of magnitude 6.1, one off Japan’s Pacific coast and one deep under Fiji. Neither caused reported damage.
• Storms: No named tropical cyclone is active. A system southeast of Hawaii and another northeast of Guam are likely to become tropical depressions.
• Fires: US fire activity is light, at National Preparedness Level 1, with no new large fires.
• Also today: Kīlauea in Hawaii produced a six-hour lava fountain that ended Thursday evening local time.

National weather services and local authorities issue the official warnings. Follow them for decisions about safety.

Earthquakes

Earthquake activity was moderate, with 11 events of magnitude 4.5 or more, with no damage reported. The table lists the ten largest, newest first.

What stands out

• Off Japan, magnitude 6.1. The quake struck at 7:39 p.m. local time on November 6, far off the coast of Chiba Prefecture. The Japan Meteorological Agency issued no tsunami alert, JKN and Ground News reported. USGS puts its depth at 29 km (18 mi); the agency’s figure, as reported, is about 10 km (6 mi). USGS gives it a green PAGER alert, meaning little or no expected damage.
• Fiji, magnitude 6.1. At 535 km (332 mi) deep, it was too deep to cause strong shaking at the surface. GDACS rated it green.
• Alaska. Two magnitude 4.6 to 4.7 quakes struck in the same area south of False Pass, about three and a half hours apart.

USGS recorded 184 earthquakes of all sizes worldwide in the window. Catalog searched at 12:22 UTC on November 6: USGS earthquake catalog. One smaller event, a magnitude 4.5 north of Isangel, Vanuatu, is left out of the table. No magnitude 6 or larger quake struck in the three days before the window.

Storms

No named tropical cyclone was active at the end of the window, but two systems in the Pacific are close to forming. The table lists the last warned storm and the areas forecasters are watching.

In the Atlantic, the National Hurricane Center (NHC) says the low near Bermuda could take on subtropical traits, but upper winds turn unfavorable by late this weekend.

Invest 99W and Guam

No watches or warnings were in effect for Guam as of 10:02 a.m. ChST on November 6, according to NWS Guam. The Joint Typhoon Warning Center (JTWC) has issued a Tropical Cyclone Formation Alert for 99W, not a warning. Models agree on a track toward Guam, so watches could follow quickly. The newest advisory replaces these figures.

Outside the tropics, a slow cross-country storm brought heavy rain to the East Coast. FOX Weather said parts of Rhode Island and southeast Massachusetts face a Level 2 of 4 flash flood risk on Friday, with rain lingering into Saturday morning.

Fires

US wildfire activity is light, though the season’s totals remain well above normal. Figures come from the National Interagency Fire Center report dated Thursday, November 5, 2026, 7:30 a.m. MDT.

The Southern Area is at Preparedness Level 2; Northern and Southern California and the Rocky Mountain areas are also at 2.

Fires to know

• Sisi, Washington: 4,816 acres (1,949 ha), 50% contained, 10 miles northwest of Stehekin. The report says residences are threatened.
• Bee Haven 2, Florida: 2,060 acres (834 ha), 85% contained.
• Wild River, New Hampshire: 982 acres (397 ha) in the White Mountain National Forest, 11% contained.

Elsewhere, GDACS listed many green-alert fires across Australia and southern and central Africa. The largest was in Australia, at 38,247 ha (94,510 acres). In Burkina Faso, GDACS estimated 5,915 people in the area of a 5,219 ha (12,896-acre) fire.

Floods

The worst new flood hit the twin towns of McCaysville, Georgia, and Copperhill, Tennessee. Rain began late Wednesday and the flood wave arrived overnight, with response and recovery running through the report window. The Ocoee River (called the Toccoa in Georgia) reached 18.05 feet (5.50 m) at Copperhill, above the 17.8-foot record set on February 16, 1990, Atlanta News First reported, citing NOAA data. ABC News said the river rose 14 feet in seven and a half hours.

Local 3 News meteorologist Clay Smith reported a highest official total of 11.19 inches (284 mm) in under six hours, just northwest of Blue Ridge. Fannin County Emergency Management said at least 80 people had been rescued by swift-water teams by about 5 p.m. Thursday, Local 3 News reported. Earlier counts from Police Chief Michael Earley were 30 to 40. Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp declared a state of emergency for Fannin, Gilmer, Murray and Union counties, Local 3 Newsreported. McCaysville is under a boil-water advisory after its water plant shut down.

Also today

Kīlauea’s latest lava fountain was the main volcanic event. Episode 56 began at 12:10 p.m. HST on November 5, the USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory said, with fountains reaching about 660 feet (200 m). The plume rose to about 18,000 feet (5,500 m). The Watchers reported the episode ended abruptly at 6:01 p.m. HST after nearly six hours, producing about 6 million cubic meters (212 million cubic feet) of lava. The alert level stays at Watch, aviation code Orange.

• Great Sitkin, Alaska: slow lava eruption in the summit crater continues, at Watch/Orange (USGS).
• Ahyi Seamount, Northern Mariana Islands: Advisory/Yellow.
• Tsunami: no tsunami alert followed either magnitude 6.1 earthquake.

What to watch in the next 24 hours

• Invest 99W near Guam: a first JTWC warning and possible watches for Guam and the Marianas. JTWC warnings come every six hours; NWS Guam issues local watches.
• CP95 southeast of Hawaii: likely to become a tropical depression. NHC and the Central Pacific Hurricane Center would start advisories, updated every six hours.
• Southern New England rain: flash flood risk Friday into Saturday morning. Local National Weather Service offices issue the warnings.
• McCaysville and Copperhill: damage assessments, water service and any change in the casualty count. Fannin County EMA and Polk County officials give the updates.
• Kīlauea: the observatory said further fountaining is unlikely for several weeks. Its daily update follows each morning, Hawaii time.

About this report

This report draws on the USGS earthquake catalog, NHC and JTWC tropical products, NWS Guam, the National Interagency Fire Center, GDACS, USGS volcano updates and news reports, all linked below. The 24 hours run from 12:22 UTC on November 5 to 12:22 UTC on November 6. Some products were issued before the window and are the latest available; their issue times are given. Earthquake magnitudes and tolls can change as agencies review data.

Glossary

• Magnitude: a measure of the energy an earthquake releases. Each whole step is about 32 times more energy.
• Invest: an area of disturbed weather that forecasters are investigating for possible development.
• Preparedness Level: a 1-to-5 national scale of wildfire activity and demand for firefighting resources.
• Flash flood emergency: the National Weather Service’s most serious flood alert, used when lives are under severe threat.
• Extratropical: a storm that has lost its tropical structure and now draws energy from temperature contrasts.

Frequently asked questions

Did anyone die in the Georgia–Tennessee flooding? No deaths had been reported in the news coverage reviewed for this report. Police Chief Michael Earley said a few people went to the hospital and a firefighter was injured. Counts may change as crews check damaged homes.

Was there a tsunami after the magnitude 6.1 earthquake off Japan? No. The Japan Meteorological Agency issued no tsunami alert, and USGS did not flag a tsunami. The quake was centered far offshore, east of Chiba Prefecture.

Will a storm hit Guam this weekend? It is too early to say. Invest 99W is forecast to move toward Guam over the next one to two days, and JTWC rates its chance of developing as high. No watches or warnings were in effect on Friday morning.

Why is US fire activity so low when acreage is far above average? The year-to-date totals count every fire since January, including the busy summer months. Daily activity is now light, with no new large fires on the latest report.

Sources

Earthquakes

• USGS catalog, M4.5+ since 12:22 UTC Nov 5
• USGS count, all sizes
• USGS event us7000twg9 (Japan)
• JKN: 6.1 earthquake off Chiba
• Ground News: 6.1 earthquake off Japan

Storms

• NHC home page
• NHC Atlantic outlook
• NHC Eastern Pacific outlook
• Central Pacific outlook
• JTWC Western and South Pacific advisory
• JTWC Indian Ocean advisory
• JTWC final warning, Tropical Storm 30W (In-Fa)
• NWS Guam

Fires

• NIFC Incident Management Situation Report
• GDACS alerts feed

Floods

• Atlanta News First: McCaysville flooding
• ABC News: Catastrophic flooding closes Georgia, Tennessee cities
• Local 3 News: Historic flooding timeline
• Local 3 News: 80 people rescued
• Local 3 News: Gov. Kemp state of emergency
• Weather.com: Record flash flooding
• FOX Weather: Cross-country storm
• The Watchers: Brevard County, Florida flooding
• GDACS: DR Congo flood
• GDACS: Bulgaria flood
• GDACS: Spain flood

Volcanoes and other hazards

• USGS Kīlauea updates
• USGS volcano updates
• The Watchers: Kīlauea episode 56 ends