Washington state DNR says no tsunami threat expected after Alaska quake Monday
No tsunami threat is expected in Washington state following a 7.5-magnitude earthquake Monday in Alaska, the Washington State Department of Natural Resources says.
“This tsunami is not expected to threaten the Washington coast. It’s still a good reminder that we face tsunami risks every day,” the department said in a tweet made at 3:45 p.m. Monday.
The U.S. Geological Survey reported the 7.5-magnitude quake struck at 1:54 p.m. (Pacific Daylight Time) Oct. 19 approximately 57 miles southeast of Sand Point, Alaska.
Tsunami alerts were issued for parts of the Alaska Peninsula and Kodiak Island near the quake, but those threats do not stretch to Washington state, according to the Department of Natural Resources.
According to a map tweeted out by the National Weather Service Tsunami Alerts, it would have taken a theoretical tsunami from the quake more than three hours to cover more than 1,600 miles and arrive on the Whatcom County coast.
At 3:12 p.m, the National Weather Service Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said that though a tsunami warning remains in effect for South Alaska and the the Alaska Peninsula, not other warnings are in effect.
According to a follow up Tweet from the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center, a 2-foot-tall tsunami was seen at Sand Point.
This story was originally published October 19, 2020 at 3:06 PM with the headline "Washington state DNR says no tsunami threat expected after Alaska quake Monday."
