Quake of 4.8 magnitude hits near Vancouver Island, felt on North Olympic Peninsula

Quake of 4.8 magnitude hits near Vancouver Island, felt on North Olympic Peninsula

  • Wednesday, December 30, 2015 12:01am
  • News

PORT ANGELES — People across the North Olympic Peninsula reported feeling a bump or a shake and a shiver when a 4.8 magnitude earthquake hit near Vancouver Island at about 11:39 p.m. Tuesday night.

No tsunami watches were in the effect after the quake, which was about 12.5 miles north of Victoria in the waters off the Saanich Peninsula, near Sidney Island, according to the Victoria Times-Colonist.

It was about 26 miles deep, according to the United State Geological Survey.

People in Port Angeles, Sequim, Port Townsend and Port Ludlow and as far away as Olympia and Bellingham reported feeling the quake on the USGS website.

KING 5 said that its newsroom received reports of people feeling the quake from the San Juan Islands to Bellevue.

Victoria residents reported houses shaking. The quake was felt along the southern British Columbia coast and throughout Vancouver Island, according to Canadian news sources.

Earthquake Canada said there have been no reports of damage, and “none would be expected,” according to CBC News of British Columbia.

KOMO News received reports from people in Ferndale, Bellingham, Mount Vernon, Sequim, Seattle, Graham and Port Angeles.

“Just went to bed and all of a sudden my bed shook a little,” Greg Roberts in Port Angeles told the news station.

“And I sat up and said ‘what in the world?’ and it was like a rolling feeling. And then the second one shook the bed so strong, didn’t know what to think. It was just unbelievable to be shook up like that.”

Hector Girr of Port Angeles also told KOMO of feeling the quake.

“I felt a huge tremor. It bounced me side to side,” Girr said. But no damage at his house either.

“All of a sudden it felt like somebody was moving our couch,” added Cindy Carter of Orcas Island. “There was no damage — it was about a 3-second shake.”

In Anacortes, some neighbors reported a few pictures knocked off shelves due to the shaking.

All of a sudden my whole house was out of control,” said Kellen Lamborn of Anacortes. “And it continued and it got worse and worse. It woke up the whole neighborhood.”

Earlier this evening, a quake was reported in Southern California.

The magnitude-4.4 quake hit in foothills northwest of San Bernardino about 5:38 p.m. at a depth of about three miles, the U.S. Geological Survey said.

More in News

Some power restored after tree falls into line near Morse Creek

Power has been restored to most customers after a… Continue reading

Wendy Rae Johnson waves to cars on the north side of U.S. Highway 101 in Port Angeles on Saturday during a demonstration against U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations in Minnesota. On the other side of the highway is the Peninsula Handmaids in red robes and hoods. (Dave Logan/for Peninsula Daily News)
ICE protest

Wendy Rae Johnson waves to cars on the north side of U.S.… Continue reading

Jamestown Salish Seasons, a psychiatric evaluation and treatment clinic owned and operated by the Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe, tentatively will open this summer and offer 16 beds for voluntary patients with acute psychiatric symptoms. (Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe)
Jamestown’s evaluation and treatment clinic slated to open this summer

Administrators say facility is first tribe-owned, operated in state

North Olympic Library System staff closed the Sequim temporary library on Sunday to move operations back to the Sequim Avenue branch that has been under construction since April 2024. (North Olympic Library System)
Sequim Library closer to reopening date

Limited hours offered for holds, pickups until construction is complete

Sequim extends hold on overlays

City plans to finish comp plan by summer

Traffic makes it way through curves just east of Del Guzzi Drive on U.S. Highway 101 at the site of a fish barrier project conducted by the state Department of Transportation. Construction is on hiatus for the winter and is expected to resume in March, WSDOT said. The traffic pattern is expected to be in place until this summer. (Dave Logan/for Peninsula Daily News)
Construction on hold

Traffic makes it way through curves just east of Del Guzzi Drive… Continue reading

An Olympic marmot near Cedar Lake in the Olympic National Park. (Matt Duchow)
Olympic marmots under review

Fish and Wildlife considering listing them as endangered

EYE ON THE PENINSULA: Clallam board to consider monument to Owens

Meetings across the North Olympic Peninsula

The Michael Trebert Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution, assisted by Trail Life USA and Heritage Girls, retired 1,900 U.S. flags and 1,360 veterans wreaths during a recent ceremony. The annual event also involved members of Carlsborg Veterans of Foreign Wars Post #6787, Sequim American Legion Post 62, Port Angeles Elks Lodge #353 Riders and more than 100 members of the public.
Flag retirement

The Michael Trebert Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution, assisted… Continue reading

Rodeo arena to get upgrade

Cattle chutes, lighting expected to be replaced

Jefferson County Commissioner Heather Dudley Nollette works to complete the Point In Time Count form with an unsheltered Port Townsend man on Thursday. (Elijah Sussman/Peninsula Daily News)
Homeless count provides snapshot for needs of unsheltered people

Jefferson County undergoes weeklong documentation period

Aiden Hamilton.
Teenager plans to run for state House seat

Aiden Hamilton to run for Rep. Tharinger’s position