A moderately strong earthquake off the coast of British Columbia last night briefly sent residents of the surrounding areas into a panic and captured our weather related attention. A 7.7 magnitude quake occurred off the Pacific coast of Canada, near Masset, British Columbia. With aftershocks as strong as 4.6, the quake was felt across much of the northern part of the province but no damage was recorded. 

The quake did cause a scare in coastal areas of the U.S. Tsunami warnings were issued in California, Oregon and Hawaii. With a quake that strong, the threat of a potential tsunami caused residents to flee low-lying areas for higher ground. Thankfully the quake ended up disappointing and the following tsunamis were smaller than expected. During the tsunami's strongest point in Hawaii, the highest wave recorded in Maui was only two feet above normal levels. No damage was reported because of the quake in Hawaii or anywhere on the Pacific coast. Tsunami advisories were called off for every location except Northern California. 

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