4.6 magnitude earthquake near Monroe felt across Western Washington

SNOHOMISH COUNTY, Wash. — A 4.6 magnitude earthquake that hit about a mile northwest of Monroe at 2:51 a.m. was felt across Western Washington and beyond Friday.

The quake was followed by a series of 11 aftershocks, with the strongest a M3.5 that happened 3 minutes after the main quake.

The earthquake was reported to have been felt from the Canadian border to Olympia and east to Leavenworth.

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It occurred at a depth of 14 miles. KIRO 7 Chief Meteorologist Morgan Palmer said the deeper a quake occurs, the more widely it is felt.

Palmer said that there is only about a 5 percent chance -- or about 1 in 20 -  that the earthquake was a foreshadowing of a larger one to come. He said the chance for a larger quake is greatest right after the initial earthquake and then becomes less likely as time goes on.

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The chance for aftershocks also becomes less as time passes after an earthquake, and the ones that do occur become smaller in magnitude.

KIRO 7 has taken reports of items falling off walls and shelves, but no reports of damage or injuries.

The Washington State Department of Transportation has been inspecting all of the truss bridges, which are most vulnerable to damage, after the earthquake.

If any damage to those bridges are found, they may have to inspect others.

Viewers describe quake, videos show shaking

Surveillance video from Smith Avenue in Everett, embedded in this story below, shows the shaking when the earthquake hit. See more video of the earthquake shaking at this link.

Numerous viewers reported feeling the earthquake.

"We were sound asleep and the whole house shook and we all woke up. We are spooked and still awake," said Rob Fuhriman.

"It shook the crap out of me and my house. It didn't seem to bother my two little dogs, but it sure got to me," said Sue Grendall, who lives on the outskirts of Granite Falls.

"SeaTac WA, felt my bed sway back and fourth and saw my scarf shaking on the rail surrounding my loft bedroom," said Kim Konkel.

"Felt it in Lake City - North Seattle. I was up binging the show 'Hanna' when I felt it. My pots and pans started swaying and I was like "Ut Oh..." 😳 Not a good sign," said Paul Turcott.

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KIRO 7 PinPoint Meteorologist Nick Allard said the earthquake was the largest to hit the region since the M6.8 Nisqually earthquake on Feb. 28, 2001 that struck east of Olympia.  In comparison, that earthquake was 1,995 times stronger than Friday's quake.

The Puget Sound Seismic Network orginally reported the epicenter of the quake as being in Three Lakes in Snohomish County, but that was later pinpointed to be on the northwest side of Monroe.

See video of the shaking on Smith Avenue in Everett below. See more viewer video at this link.

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