Earthquakes in Cowlitz County, Washington
The most recent earthquake of M2.5 or more near Cowlitz County was M 3.0, 3 km W of Columbia City, Oregon, 37 km (23 mi) SSW of the centre of Cowlitz County, at 7:25 am PDT on 22 October 2026, 24 km deep. 113 people reported feeling it to USGS. The estimated shaking at the centre of Cowlitz County was intensity II (weak), felt by some people at rest indoors. 1 smaller earthquake has been recorded near Cowlitz County since.
No earthquake of M1.5 or more was recorded within 50 km (31 mi) of the centre of Cowlitz County in the last 24 hours.
- Last 24 hours
- 0
- Last 7 days
- 0
- Last 30 days
- 4 · an average 30 days here since 2016: 4.0
- Last 12 months
- 75 · largest M 3.8 on 5 September 2026
- Since 2016
- 528 earthquakes of M1.5 or more
- Largest since 2016
- M 3.9 on 3 January 2018, 37 km SSE of Morton, Washington
Latest quake, 24 hours and 7 days: the QuakeIndex database, which reads USGS every 30 seconds, read at ; 30 days and 12 months: the QuakeIndex catalogue, counted to · earthquakes of M1.5 or more within 50 km (31 mi) of the centre of Cowlitz County · shaking is estimated for the centre with the intensity equation USGS Did You Feel It? uses
Quiet QuakeIndex 0 / 100
0 quakes of M1.5 or larger in the last 7 days within 50 km. Normal for here is 0 to 1 in a week.
Compared against Cowlitz County, Washington's own 10 years · USGS catalogue · updated
If you felt one
- Was that an earthquake? — checks what was recorded near you in the last hour
- Report what you felt to USGS — reports go to USGS, not to us, and they are what produces the intensity maps
- Expect aftershocks, and be ready to Drop, Cover, and Hold On if you feel one; if you are in a damaged building, go outside and move away from it (Ready.gov, FEMA; what to do during and after an earthquake)
- Near the coast, go inland or to higher ground as soon as strong shaking stops (Ready.gov); official warnings are on Tsunami.gov
QuakeIndex does not issue warnings or forecasts. For earthquake early warning see ShakeAlert and the MyShake app.
The last 30 days
Show these earthquakes on your own site: a free card with this strip and the latest quakes near Cowlitz County, Washington, for a local news site, school or neighborhood page.
Live · last 7 days
Latest earthquakes within 50 km
None within 50 km in the latest snapshot we hold; the full 7 days load from USGS as this page opens.
Source USGS · snapshot of
The last 7 days on the map
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The centre is 46.197, -122.678, the Census internal point of Cowlitz County, Washington from the US Census Bureau Gazetteer (2024). Activity on this page is measured within 50 km of it — the dashed circle.
Largest on record nearby
The strongest shaking this record implies at the centre of Cowlitz County, Washington is intensity III (weak), from the M 3.8 of 2026, 6 km away. At that level a few people indoors notice it; most do not.
| Magnitude | When | Where | Shaking here (est.) |
|---|---|---|---|
| M 3.9 | 37 km SSE of Morton, Washington · felt by 223 | II · Weak | |
| M 3.8 | 20 km E of Castle Rock, Washington · felt by 1,025 | III · Weak | |
| M 3.5 | 20 km S of Morton, Washington · felt by 271 | II · Weak | |
| M 3.2 | 12 km SSW of Morton, Washington · felt by 34 | II · Weak | |
| M 3.1 | 4 km WSW of Deer Island, Oregon · felt by 202 | II · Weak | |
| M 3.1 | 3 km NNE of Onalaska, Washington · felt by 31 | II · Weak | |
| M 3.0 | 3 km W of Columbia City, Oregon · felt by 113 | II · Weak | |
| M 3.0 | 33 km NNE of Amboy, Washington · felt by 101 | II · Weak |
From the QuakeIndex catalogue, built from the USGS FDSN event service · within 50 km of the centre above. Shaking is an estimate for the centre from magnitude, depth and distance, with the intensity equation USGS Did You Feel It? uses (Atkinson & Wald, 2007), on the Modified Mercalli scale. Ground conditions change it locally; it is a description of the past, not a hazard rating.
Before 2016
The USGS record from 1900 to 2015 lists 16 earthquakes of M5 or more within 50 km of the centre of Cowlitz County, Washington; the 8 largest:
- 5.7 38 km NNE of Amboy, Washington · 38 km E of the centre
- 5.2 37 km NNE of Amboy, Washington · 37 km E of the centre
- 5.2 23 km S of Morton, Washington · 38 km ENE of the centre
- 5.1 28 km ENE of Amboy, Washington · 47 km ESE of the centre
- 5.1 Washington · 39 km E of the centre
- 5.1 38 km NNE of Amboy, Washington · 38 km E of the centre
- 5.1 38 km S of Morton, Washington · 38 km E of the centre
- 5.1 38 km NNE of Amboy, Washington · 37 km E of the centre
USGS ComCat, M5+ from 1900 to 2015. Epicentres of early earthquakes are estimates. This is the record, not a forecast.
Be ready
Earthquakes cannot be predicted, here or anywhere, so the useful step is the one taken beforehand. The advice below is from the agencies responsible for it.
- Ready.gov: earthquakes (FEMA) — what to do before, during and after, including Drop, Cover, and Hold On
- Build a kit (FEMA) — water, food and supplies for several days; our summary
- USGS: preparedness — the hazard behind the advice, from the agency that records every quake on this page
- The Great ShakeOut — the yearly earthquake drill, with material for homes, schools and workplaces
- ShakeAlert covers Cowlitz County, Washington: alerts reach phones through Wireless Emergency Alerts and the MyShake app, seconds before shaking arrives
- Tsunami.gov (NOAA) — the official tsunami warnings for the coast; a quake page here never stands in for one