New tsunami maps show how water could reach Seattle, Everett, Tacoma after an earthquake

Bellingham, Olympia, Seattle and Tacoma could see between six inches and 11 feet of water from a tsunami off the coast of Washington.

EVERETT, Washington. – Could a tsunami starting miles off the Washington coast penetrate deep into Puget Sound or the Hood Canal? New maps from the Washington Geological Survey show that not only is it likely, but it also estimates how much.

Portions of low-lying Bellingham could be under nearly 11 feet of water. Part of the Snohomish River Delta between Everett and Marysville could get nearly two meters high, and Seattle Harbor Island could be inundated with nearly two meters of water.

The maps show slightly lesser effects in the South Sound, with the port of Tacoma reaching three and a half feet and low lying areas of Olympia being six inches.

The area that could see the worst of the flooding is Belfair at the head of the Hood Canal, which could see depths of 14 feet.

“We’re pointing all the way from the Canadian border to Olympia,” said Christine Allen, the state’s chief hazard geologist.

She said it was the most comprehensive study yet of the tsunami risk to inland waters from a magnitude nine earthquake off the coast of Washington, a quake that last occurred here 321 years ago, and scientists say it will happen again.

Allen said that new, more detailed overland lidar flights that better assess the shape of the coastlines and better information about the shape of the earth underwater have given them a clearer understanding of how high the water is caused by multiple tsunami Waves could be.

In general, it would take at least two hours for the waves to arrive at Bellingham and two hours and 40 minutes for them to arrive at Tacomas Commencement Bay.

The waves could reach speeds of three or four knots, which means depth isn’t the only problem: the force of the water against buildings would also be an issue.

The Washington Geological Survey, part of the Department of Natural Resources (DNR), has created interactive maps of the areas that concern you most.

Click here to navigate DNR’s interactive tsunami maps

See the water floods on Seattle Harbor Island