USGS · September 23, 2026

Magnitude 2.8 earthquake near Hemet, California

A magnitude 2.8 earthquake was recorded near 9 km WNW of Anza, CA on Sep 23, 2026, 03:52 AM (local time at the epicentre — PDT, UTC-7), at a depth of about 12.3 km, according to USGS.

USGSFelt by 3 people · community intensity II (weak)Shallow (0–70 km)Automatic solution — subject to revision

Updated 2026-09-23 13:17 UTC

The full record

Magnitude
M 2.8 · local (Richter) magnitude
Location
9 km WNW of Anza, CA
Local time at the epicentre
Sep 23, 2026, 03:52 AM — PDT, UTC-7
Time (UTC)
2026-09-23 10:52 UTC
Depth
12.3 km · Shallow (0–70 km)
Coordinates
33.574, -116.770
Felt reports
Felt by 3 people · community intensity II (weak)
Tsunami
No tsunami evaluation was flagged for this earthquake.
Significance
125 / 1000 · routine event
Solution quality
129 seismic stations used · 11° azimuthal gap (well-constrained epicentre)
Review status
Automatic solution — subject to revision
Catalog
USGS

Open the official catalog record

Epicentre and nearby recent earthquakes

The highlighted circle is this earthquake. Smaller circles are other events recorded nearby in the last 30 days.

What the shaking was like

Shallow earthquakes release their energy close to the surface, so they are felt more strongly nearby than a deeper earthquake of the same magnitude.

People who reported it described intensity II (Weak): Felt by a few people at rest, mostly on upper floors.

Felt it yourself? USGS collects first-hand reports through “Did You Feel It?”, and those reports are what produce the community intensity above.

Who lives nearby

About 174,407 people live in towns within 30 km of the epicentre, and 6,353,753 within 100 km. Distances are from the epicentre to the town centre.

PlaceDistancePopulation
Anza9.2 km ESE3,014
Aguanga17.0 km SSW1,128
Idyllwild19.1 km NNE3,583
Idyllwild-Pine Cove19.4 km NNE3,874
Valle Vista22.5 km NNW14,578
East Hemet24.2 km NW17,418
Hemet27.0 km NW83,861
San Jacinto29.2 km NW46,951
Winchester32.7 km WNW2,534
Green Acres33.7 km WNW1,805

Earthquake history in this area

11 earthquakes of magnitude 4.5+ have been recorded within 200 km of this epicentre since 1960, in California.

Other earthquakes near this epicentre

3 other events within 100 km in the last 30 days.

Be first to know about the next earthquake near 9 km WNW of Anza, CA

SeismoWatch pushes a notification to your Android phone within minutes of a matching earthquake — for the area and magnitude you choose.

Get the Android app

Frequently asked questions

How strong was the 9 km WNW of Anza, CA earthquake?

Magnitude 2.8 (local (Richter) magnitude), at a depth of 12.3 km. Shallow earthquakes release their energy close to the surface, so they are felt more strongly nearby than a deeper earthquake of the same magnitude.

Exactly when did it happen?

Sep 23, 2026, 03:52 AM (local time at the epicentre — PDT, UTC-7). In universal time: 2026-09-23 10:52 UTC.

Was it felt?

Felt by 3 people · community intensity II (weak). Felt by a few people at rest, mostly on upper floors.

Was there a tsunami warning?

No tsunami evaluation was flagged for this earthquake.

Which towns are closest to the epicentre?

The closest is Anza, 9.2 km ESE (population 3,014).

Are earthquakes normal in this area?

Yes. The largest earthquake recorded within 200 km since 1960 was magnitude 7.3 (The 1992 Landers, California Earthquake, 1992), and 3 further events were recorded within 100 km in the last 30 days.

How do I get alerts for the next earthquake here?

Install the free SeismoWatch Android app, draw a box over this area, set a minimum magnitude, and turn alerts on.

About this page

Event data: U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), the European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC), in Venezuela FUNVISIS and in Brazil the RSBR through the Centro de Sismologia da USP. Populated places and time zones: GeoNames (CC BY 4.0). Preliminary solutions are revised as more observations arrive.