It was a wave hello — and goodbye. A tsunami advisory issued for the Washington coast was officially canceled as of 10:45 a.m. Wednesday, following a magnitude 8.8 earthquake that hit Tuesday off Russia’s eastern coast.
Officials say the state got lucky this time: the waves arrived during low tide and dispersed with minimal impact.
Ocean beaches have since reopened, the Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission confirmed in a Facebook post, but visitors are urged to remain vigilant. Strong and unpredictable currents may persist for the next 12 to 24 hours. For up-to-date information on state park conditions, visit parks.wa.gov.
The division recommends signing up for notifications at mil.wa.gov/alerts, investing in a NOAA Weather Radio, and keeping a go bag and half a tank of gas on hand in case of sudden evacuation needs.
Officials emphasized the importance of preparation, noting that not all tsunamis are caused by earthquakes — underwater landslides and other disruptions can also trigger deadly waves.
