Live earthquake check
Earthquakes near Des Moines, WA today
Updated
No M2.5+ earthquake within 100 km of Des Moines, WA in the last 24 hours 1 smaller quake (largest M1.7) were recorded within 100 km; the latest 10 hours ago.
Was there an earthquake in Des Moines, WA just now? This page checks the live USGS catalogue for quakes around Des Moines, Washington, United States and updates every few minutes.
- Last 24 hours
- 0 M2.5+ within 100 km
- Last 7 days
- 0 M2.5+ within 100 km
- Last 30 days
- 3 M2.5+ within 100 km
- Largest in 30 days
- M4.2 30 km W, Sep 29, 2026
- Largest in past year
- M4.2 30 km W, Sep 29, 2026
- Past year count
- 28 M2.5+ within 150 km
- Nearest in 30 days
- 30 km M4.2, Sep 29, 2026
Recent earthquakes near Des Moines, WA
USGS recorded 3 earthquakes of magnitude 2.5 or more within 100 km of Des Moines, WA in the past 30 days, 0 of them in the last 7 days. The most recent was M2.6 37 km E of the city at Oct 14, 18:09 local time (11 days ago).
The average depth was about 22 km and 3 of 3 were shallow (under 70 km), which are the ones most likely to be felt at the surface.
USGS also lists 1 smaller quake (below M2.5) within 100 km in the last 24 hours; these are rarely felt.
| Time (Des Moines, WA) | UTC | Magnitude | Distance | Depth | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 16, 20:37 | Oct 17, 03:37 UTC | M3.1 | 147 km WNW | 40 km | 18 km ESE of Forks, Washington |
| Oct 14, 18:09 | Oct 15, 01:09 UTC | M2.6 | 37 km E | 19 km | 5 km SW of Wilderness Rim, Washington |
| Oct 14, 02:00 | Oct 14, 09:00 UTC | M2.6 | 38 km E | 19 km | 5 km WSW of Wilderness Rim, Washington |
| Sep 29, 14:05 | Sep 29, 21:05 UTC | M4.2 | 30 km W | 28 km | 6 km WNW of Wauna, Washington |
| Sep 27, 17:12 | Sep 28, 00:12 UTC | M2.6 | 146 km SSE | -1 km | 23 km N of Trout Lake, Washington |
M2.5+ within 150 km, past 30 days, newest first. Times in America/Los_Angeles.
Largest earthquakes near Des Moines, WA in the past year
The strongest earthquake within 150 km of Des Moines, WA in the past 12 months was M4.2 on Sep 29, 2026, 30 km W of the city (6 km WNW of Wauna, Washington).
With 28 M2.5+ earthquakes in a year (about 2.3 a month), the area around Des Moines, WA is active by global standards. 0 of the ten largest reached M4.5, the level at which damage near the epicentre becomes possible.
| Date | Magnitude | Distance | Depth | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 29, 2026 | M4.2 | 30 km W | 28 km | 6 km WNW of Wauna, Washington |
| Jul 2, 2026 | M3.8 | 101 km NNW | 25 km | 2 km E of Oak Harbor, Washington |
| Sep 5, 2026 | M3.8 | 131 km S | 18 km | 20 km E of Castle Rock, Washington |
| Oct 17, 2026 | M3.1 | 147 km WNW | 40 km | 18 km ESE of Forks, Washington |
| Feb 24, 2026 | M3.0 | 52 km NNE | 26 km | 4 km ESE of Cathcart, Washington |
| Jan 22, 2026 | M3.0 | 38 km NE | 27 km | 2 km NNW of Ames Lake, Washington |
| Dec 15, 2025 | M2.9 | 131 km NNE | 6 km | 4 km WSW of Concrete, Washington |
| Jun 8, 2026 | M2.9 | 101 km NNW | 26 km | 2 km ESE of Oak Harbor, Washington |
| Mar 11, 2026 | M2.9 | 38 km WSW | 25 km | 2 km W of Home, Washington |
| May 27, 2026 | M2.8 | 28 km W | 26 km | 4 km W of Wauna, Washington |
Was it felt in Des Moines, WA?
The largest nearby quake this month, M4.2 at 30 km, was probably felt in Des Moines, WA by a rough rule of thumb (an M3 is typically noticed within a few tens of km, an M5 up to a few hundred km; local ground and building type matter a lot).
USGS "Did You Feel It?" received reports for 5 of these quakes: M3.1 on Oct 17, 2026 (20 reports, max intensity 2.2); M2.6 on Oct 15, 2026 (46 reports, max intensity 2.7); M2.6 on Oct 14, 2026 (78 reports, max intensity 2.7); M4.2 on Sep 29, 2026 (9571 reports, max intensity 3.8).
If you felt shaking, you can report it to USGS; reports refine the intensity map within minutes.
Tsunami warning status
None of the earthquakes near Des Moines, WA in the past year carried the USGS tsunami flag, which USGS sets for large quakes in oceanic regions where the tsunami warning centres issue messages.
Official tsunami warnings come from the NOAA tsunami warning centres (tsunami.gov) and national agencies; follow local authorities if you are on a coast after strong shaking.
Earthquakes around the world today
Worldwide, USGS listed 153 earthquakes of M1+ in the last 24 hours; the largest was M6.5 Bonin Islands, Japan region.
USGS lists every magnitude in the United States but outside it coverage is complete only from about M4–4.5, so smaller local quakes reported by national agencies may be missing. Magnitudes and locations are revised for hours after an event.
Earthquakes near other cities in United States and nearby
Earthquake pages
More live data for Des Moines, WA
Data: USGS Earthquake Hazards Program (ComCat), GeoNames (cities, CC BY 4.0).