Daily Earthquakes, Storms, Fires & Floods Report — November 7, 2026

Nov 7, 2026 · By Paul Harrison, Orbis Weather

At a glance

Flooding in the eastern United States led a moderate day for natural hazards in the 24 hours from 7:20 a.m. EST Friday, November 6, to 7:20 a.m. EST Saturday, November 7, 2026 (12:20 UTC to 12:20 UTC).

• Floods: Georgia confirmed one death from the record Toccoa and Ocoee river flood on the Georgia-Tennessee line, and the same storm brought flash flooding to the East Coast on Friday.
• Storms: Two tropical storms are active, Pena in the Central Pacific and Cempaka in the Western Pacific. Neither has watches or warnings for land.
• Earthquakes: Six earthquakes of magnitude 4.5 or greater; the largest was a magnitude 5.5 off Japan’s Pacific coast. None caused reported damage.
• Fires: US fire activity is light, at national Preparedness Level 1, with no new large fires.
• Also today: Kilauea in Hawaii ended its 56th episode of lava fountaining just before the window opened.

Official warnings come from national weather services and local authorities. Follow them first.

Earthquakes

It was a quiet day for earthquakes, with six events of magnitude 4.5 or greater and no reported damage.

What stands out

• The magnitude 5.5 off Hasaki carries a USGS green alert, meaning a low likelihood of casualties or damage. USGS logged 15 felt reports.
• It struck the same offshore area as a magnitude 6.1 at 10:39 UTC on November 6, about 100 minutes before the window opened. That quake, 89 mi (144 km) SE of Hasaki, also had a green alert and no tsunami flag.

USGS recorded 175 earthquakes of all sizes worldwide in the window. Source: USGS earthquake catalog, searched at 12:21 UTC on November 7. Magnitudes and locations can be revised.

Storms

Two tropical storms are active over open ocean, and neither threatens land at present.

Cempaka is the more powerful prospect. The Joint Typhoon Warning Center expects it to become a typhoon within about a day and peak in roughly two days, then turn extratropical by day four. Its warning lists wind radii over open water only.

Pena formed southeast of Hawaii on November 6. The National Hurricane Center’s Central Pacific advisory states there are “no coastal watches or warnings in effect” and lists hazards affecting land as “None.” Its forecast track stays well south of the islands.

The Atlantic and Eastern Pacific have no active tropical cyclones.

Outside the tropics, the storm system behind this week’s southern flooding moved up the East Coast on Friday. The National Weather Service in Raleigh issued a radar-indicated tornado warning for southeastern Wayne County, North Carolina, at 2:29 p.m. EST. No confirmed tornado appeared in the reports reviewed.

Fires

US wildfire activity is light, though the 2026 season has burned far more land than average. Figures are from the National Interagency Coordination Center report dated Friday, November 6, at 7:30 a.m. MDT.

Fires to know

• Sisi, Washington: 4,816 acres and 50% contained, 10 miles northwest of Stehekin. Residences are threatened.
• Wild River, New Hampshire: 856 acres and 20% contained in the White Mountain National Forest. It is creeping and smoldering in hardwood litter.
• Bee Haven 2, Florida: 2,060 acres and 85% contained.

Elsewhere: The Global Disaster Alert and Coordination System (GDACS) listed several green-alert fires in Australia and Burkina Faso. The largest new Australian entry covered 18,718 hectares (46,250 acres).

Floods

The most serious flood news of the day came from the Georgia-Tennessee line, where officials confirmed a death and the scale of a record flood. The National Weather Service in Peachtree City called it a 1-in-1,000-year rainfall event over Blue Ridge, Georgia. It measured 10.28 inches in six hours and 11.19 inches in 12 hours, ending Thursday morning, November 5.

The Toccoa River in Georgia and the Ocoee River in Tennessee reached record levels. McCaysville’s water treatment plant was knocked out, according to AP. Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp declared a state of emergency for Fannin, Gilmer, Murray and Union counties. Julie Barrs, 56, of Ellijay died after her vehicle was swept away in Murray County, according to the county sheriff and Georgia’s emergency agency (GEMA). Rescue counts differ by source: GEMA reported 100, state officials told CNN at least 117 across both states, and Fox Weather counted about 148.

Also today

Kilauea ended its 56th lava-fountaining episode shortly before the window opened, and no tsunami was flagged for any earthquake in the window.

• Kilauea, Hawaii: The episode ran from 12:10 p.m. to 6:01 p.m. HST on November 5 (22:10 to 04:01 UTC), according to The Watchers, citing the USGS Hawaiian Volcano Observatory. Fountains peaked near 660 feet (200 m), and the plume reached about 18,000 feet (5,500 m). The alert level is WATCH and the aviation color code is ORANGE. The observatory said more fountaining is unlikely for several weeks.
• Tsunami: None of the six magnitude 4.5+ events carried a USGS tsunami flag.

What to watch in the next 24 hours

• Cempaka strengthening: The Joint Typhoon Warning Center’s next warnings are due at 15:00 and 21:00 UTC Saturday. Watch whether it reaches typhoon strength on schedule.
• Pena’s track: The next Central Pacific advisory is due at 5 a.m. HST (15:00 UTC) Saturday, from the National Hurricane Center’s Honolulu office.
• Invest 94S near Madagascar: A disturbance about 390 nautical miles northeast of Toamasina has a high chance of developing within 24 hours, per the Joint Typhoon Warning Center’s Indian Ocean outlook of 06:30 UTC Saturday.
• East Coast drying out: Most of the coast was expected to dry out Saturday afternoon. Local National Weather Service offices issue any remaining flood advisories.
• Other tropical areas: The National Hurricane Center gives a low 10% chance to a non-tropical low south-southeast of Bermuda, and its Eastern Pacific outlook carried a 30% area. Outlooks update every six hours.

About this report

This report draws on official agencies (USGS, the National Hurricane Center, the Joint Typhoon Warning Center, the National Interagency Fire Center, GDACS and the National Weather Service) and on news reports. The 24 hours run from 12:20 UTC on November 6 to 12:20 UTC on November 7. Advisories and agency reports are often a few hours old when published, and early tolls change. Agency figures replace those here as they update.

Glossary

• Magnitude: A measure of the energy an earthquake releases. Each whole step is about 32 times more energy.
• Invest: A weather disturbance that forecasters are watching for possible development into a tropical cyclone.
• Preparedness Level: The US national wildfire readiness scale, from 1 (low) to 5 (highest demand on firefighting resources).
• 1-in-1,000-year rainfall: Rain so heavy that it has a 0.1% chance of happening in any given year at that spot.
• Aviation color code: A volcano alert for pilots, from green (normal) to red (eruption with significant ash).

Frequently asked questions

Is Tropical Storm Pena a threat to Hawaii? Not at present. The latest advisory has no watches or warnings and lists no hazards affecting land. Its forecast track runs westward, well south of the islands.

Will Cempaka hit Japan? The Joint Typhoon Warning Center’s latest warning lists its winds over open water only. Its forecast positions keep the storm south and west of Iwo To, with a typhoon peak in about two days and extratropical transition by day four. People in the region should follow the Japan Meteorological Agency.

How rare was the north Georgia flood? The National Weather Service said the 6-hour and 12-hour totals at Blue Ridge both passed the 1-in-1,000-year mark. AP reported the agency noted multiple such events can occur in the same year.

Was there a tsunami after the earthquakes off Japan? No. USGS flagged no tsunami for the magnitude 5.5 in the window or the magnitude 6.1 just before it. Both carried green alerts for low expected impact.

Sources

Earthquakes

• USGS earthquake catalog, magnitude 4.5+, from 12:20 UTC November 6
• USGS earthquake count, all magnitudes
• USGS catalog, magnitude 6+, November 5 to 6

Storms

• NHC Tropical Storm Pena public advisory
• NHC Tropical Storm Pena discussion
• NHC Atlantic Tropical Weather Outlook
• NHC Eastern Pacific Tropical Weather Outlook
• NHC Central Pacific Tropical Weather Outlook
• JTWC Tropical Storm 31W (Cempaka) warning
• JTWC Indian Ocean significant tropical weather advisory
• Hawaii News Now: Tropical Storm Pena
• NWS Raleigh tornado warning, Wayne County, via DEFCON Level

Fires

• NICC Incident Management Situation Report, November 6, 2026
• GDACS alert feed

Floods

• NewsChannel 9: GEMA confirms 1 death
• AP via Click2Houston: 1-in-1,000-year flood
• CNN via KQ2: catastrophic flood in north Georgia and southern Tennessee
• Fox Weather: cross-country storm photos
• NWS Peachtree City
• GDACS: flood in France
• ABC News: Florida flooding
• News 6: St. Johns River flood warning
• AP via PBS: Southwest flooding

Volcanoes

• The Watchers: Kilauea episode 56 ends