PMEL Develops Tsunami Inundation Forecast Models for High Risk Communities in Puget Sound, WA
The main tsunami hazard for Washington State originates from a potential earthquake at the Cascadia Subduction Zone, which is stretched along the U.S. Pacific coasts offshore Washington, Oregon and Northern California. The main impact during such a tsunami event would be the ocean-side communities on the open coast. However, Washington State’s main population centers are located along Puget Sound, a long narrow inlet over 100 miles away from open coast and from potential Cascadia earthquake.
![Two model simulations for a test tsunami scenarios for Bellingham and Tacoma, WA. The forecast models is from a M9.0 scenarios of Cascadia Event 3 hours after event showing wave amplitude in red.](https://pmel.noaa.gov/sites/default/files/styles/medium/public/Tsunami%20Test%20Scenarioes%20for%20Bellingham%20and%20Tacoma%20forecast%20models%20for%20a%20M9.0%20scenarios%20of%20Cascadia%20Event%203%20hours%20after%20event.png?itok=og5jhAq3)
Tsunami test scenario for Bellingham (upper panel) and Tacoma (lower panel) forecast models. Tsunami amplitudes and inundation (red) are shown for the same M9.0 scenario of the Cascadia tsunami 3 hours after tsunami generation. Click on image to see both panels. These figures do not represent an actual forecast or quantitative hazard assessments for Tacoma and Bellingham, these are rather a test simulation of a potential tsunami scenario to verify the robustness of the forecast models.