Thousands report feeling effects of late-night earthquake near Oak Harbor
A small earthquake struck Northwest Washington late Wednesday, rattling a small area but causing no apparent damage, according to official sources.
Instruments at the University of Washington’s Pacific Northwest Seismic Network and the U.S. Geological Survey measured the quake at a magnitude of 3.8 at 11:36 p.m. Wednesday, centered at a depth of 15.72 miles just off the city of Oak Harbor on Whidbey Island.
No tsunami warning was issued, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
No damage was immediately reported, according to the state Emergency Management Division.
“If you felt a little shaking and thought it was a truck that went by, it might have been an earthquake!” the division said online.
More than 1,700 people reported feeling the quake, according to USGS. Respondents said the quake was felt as far away as Seattle and Vancouver, B.C.
Several smaller quakes were recorded in the same general location late Wednesday and early Thursday.
Quakes of magnitude 2.5 to 5.4 are felt by humans, but rarely cause damage or injuries, according to Michigan Technological University.
Some 500,000 such quakes are recorded worldwide every year, Michigan Tech said at its website.
Several smaller quakes were reported in a crescent shape around the larger quake a few minutes before and after the bigger tremor.
Area residents who subscribe to the Shake Alert earthquake warning service didn’t receive notices on their phones because those are triggered by a quake of 4.5 magnitude and greater.
Oak Harbor, a city of 25,000 people in Island County, is about 33 air miles southwest of Bellingham.
This story was originally published July 2, 2026 at 9:41 AM.
