M4.2 Earthquake struck on Monday Evening near Hilo in The United States.

Written by Earthquakelist.org on January 27th, 2026. Last updated January 29th, 2026.

A M4.2 earthquake struck under land 44 miles from Hilo in The United States just before midnight of Monday January 26th, 2026. Around 270 thousand people have been exposed to shaking.

Earthquake Summary

The earthquake struck on land in The United States, 44 miles (71 km) southwest of Hilo in Hawaii. The center of this earthquake had a quite shallow depth of 21 km. Shallow earthquakes usually have a larger impact than earthquakes deep in the earth.

Date and Time:	Jan 26, 2026 11:37PM (Honolulu Time) - Jan 27, 2026 09:37 Universal Time.
Location:	44 mi SW of Hilo, Hawaii, The United States. Coordinates 19°13'20"N 155°29'52"W.
Map:	Map of area around epicenter. Click to open in Google Maps.
Magnitude:	MAG 4.2 Detected by 32 stations. Maximum Error Range ±0.052 .
Depth:	21 mi (33 km) A quite shallow depth.
Max. Intensity:	IV Light On the Modified Mercalli Scale.
Tsunami Risk:	Tsunami very unlikely While this was a shallow earthquake in a coastal area, it appears to have occurred under land (6 mi from the sea) with a magnitude that is usually not strong enough to cause tsunami's. Always stay cautious - More info here.

Minimal impact predicted

Based on scientific estimates by the US Geographic Survey (USGS), the risk of high fatalities for this earthquake is classified at level GREEN (low). They expect an 69% likelyhood of between 0 and 1 fatalities, and a 98% chance that the number of fatalities falls no higher than 10.

The USGS classifies the economic impact of this earthquake at level GREEN (low). They expect an 65% likelyhood of between 0 and 1 million US Dollars in economic damage and impact, and a 96% chance that the economic impact of this earthquake falls no higher than 10 million USD.

Roughly 270 thousand people exposed to shaking

An estimated 270 thousand have been exposed to shaking (An MMI or Modified Mercalli Intensity level II or higher) as a result of this earthquake according scientific estimates published by the USGS.

An estimated 3,960 people were exposed to level IV. At this level, light shaking and likely no damage can be expected. Intensity level III was experienced by the majority of people (around 190 thousand). In their region, weak shaking and probably no damage can be expected.

People	MMI Level	Shaking	Damage
93,180	I	Not noticable	None
80,790	II	Very weak	None
185,100	III	Weak	Probably none
3,960	IV	Light	Likely none
0	V	Moderate	Very light
0	VI	Strong	Light
0	VII	Very Strong	Moderate
0	VIII	Severe	Moderate to heavy
0	IX	Violent	Heavy
0	X	Extreme	Very heavy

Nearby towns and cities

This earthquake may have been felt in The United States . The closest significant population center near the earthquake is Hilo in Hawaii, The United States. Hilo is located 44 miles (71 km) southwest of the epicenter. Hilo experienced an earthquake intensity (MMI Scale) of roughly III. That level implies weak shaking and probably no damage.

A complete list of nearby places is included below. Estimated intensity data (MMI) sourced from a shake-map published by the US Geographic Survey is shown where available (cities without data probably experienced little impact).

Overview of nearby places

Cities and Towns around the epicenter of this earthquake.
Distance	Place	Intensity (MMI)
44 mi (71 km) NE from epicenter	Hilo Hawaii, The United States.	III Weak
123 mi (198 km) NNW from epicenter	Kīhei Hawaii, The United States.	II Weak
132 mi (212 km) NNW from epicenter	Kahului Hawaii, The United States.	II Weak
132 mi (213 km) NNW from epicenter	Wailuku Hawaii, The United States.	I Not felt

Earthquake Intensity Map

The graph below overlays a map of the region around the epicenter with earthquake intensity data provided by the US Geographic Survey. The highest intensity level detected for this earthquake is IV.

I Not felt

II Weak

III Weak

IV Light

V Moderate

VI Strong

VII Very Strong

VIII Severe

IX Violent

X Extreme

Earthquake Intensity Map based on Shakemap Data provided by USGS.

2 Aftershocks detected

Since this main shock, 2 smaller aftershocks were detected. A 3.5 magnitude earthquake hit 1 day later 1.4 mi (2.2 km) east-southeast of this earthquake.

Overview of foreshocks and aftershocks

Detected MAG2.5+ earthquakes within within 100km (62 mi), that occurred in the three days before and after the main shock.
Classification	Magnitude	When	Where
Main Shock This Earthquake	M 4.2	Jan 26, 2026 11:37PM (Honolulu Time)	-
Aftershock	M 3.5	1 day later Jan 28, 2026 02:52AM (Honolulu Time)	1.4 mi (2.2 km) ESE from Main Shock.
Aftershock	M 2.5	2 days later Jan 28, 2026 07:37PM (Honolulu Time)	11 mi (17 km) SE from Main Shock.

More earthquakes coming?

Earthquakes can create aftershocks. These are generally at least 1 magnitude lower than any main shock, and as time passes the chance and strength of aftershocks decreases.

The chance that a significant earthquake like this one is followed by an even larger earthquake is not so large. On average, scientists estimate a 94% chance that a major earthquake will not be followed by an even larger one. It is still adviced to be aware of this risk

Read: How to Stay Safe during an Earthquake (cdc.gov).

Earthquakes like this happen often in the region

Earthquakes of this strength are very common in the region. This is the strongest earthquake to hit since November 26th, 2025, when a 4.4 magnitude earthquake hit 29 mi (46 km) further east-northeast. An even stronger magnitude 6.9 earthquake struck on May 4th, 2018.

In total, 133 earthquakes with a magnitude of 4.2 or higher have been registered within 300km (186 mi) of this epicenter in the past 10 years. This comes down to an average of once every 27 days.

Tsunami very unlikely

DISCLAIMER: We strongly suggest to closely monitor advice from local authorities with regards to tsunami risks. Our analysis is based on automatically collected data from external sources, and these might contain mistakes. In addition, earthquakes can cause landslides that may lead to a tsunami, or be a followed by another, potentially stonger, earthquake.

While MAG-6.5+ earthquakes may cause tsunami's, it appears that the epicenter of this earthquake hit under land. In addition, the reported depth is deeper than 100km, making the risk of a tsunami even less likely. However always stay cautious and monitor advice from local authorities.

Tsunami Risk Factors

Factor	Under Sea?	MAG-6.5 or stronger?	Shallow depth?
Explanation	Almost all tsunami's are caused by earthquakes with their epicenter under sea or very near the sea. However stay cautious in coastal areas as earthquakes on land may cause landslides into sea, potentially still causing a local tsunami.	Under MAG 6.5: Very unlikely to cause a tsunami. MAG 6.5 to 7.5: Destructive tsunami's do occur, but are uncommon. Likely to observe small sea level changes. MAG 7.6+: Earthquakes with these magnitudes might produce destructive tsunami's.	Most destructive tsunami's are caused by shallow earthquakes with a depth between 0 and 100km under the surface of the earth. Deeper tsunami's are unlikely to displace to ocean floor.
This Earthquake	This earthquake appears to have struck on land near a coastal area (6 mi from the sea).	Not this earthquake. This earthquake had a magnitude of 4.2. Earthquakes of this strength are unlikely to trigger a tsunami.	This earthquake occurred at a depth of of 21 mi (33 km). Earthquakes this shallow could trigger a tsunami.

Sources

Last updated 29/01/26 14:18 (). This article is automatically generated based on available data. We keep checking multiple sources for additional information. This article gets updated as new details on this earthquake become available.