The huge earthquake in Chile early this morning may have a tiny impact on Whidbey Island this afternoon as the effects of the 8.8-magnitude, quake-generated tsunami spread.

Dave Hollett, director of Island County Emergency Service, said late Saturday morning in an email that “we can expect a minor rise in sea levels at about 3 p.m.”

The National Weather Service has issued a “tsunami alert” for the north central Washington coast, which is short of a more serious tsunami warning. It emphasizes there is no tsunami warning or watch in effect.

However, residents are advised not to take the threat of higher seas lightly. “Some areas of the coast could experience dangerous currents and surges,” states a National Weather Service alert.

On the Washington coast, the first tsunami wave is expected to impact Westport at 2:57 p.m. with an amplitude of 0.78 feet. Minutes later, the impact at Bellingham is predicted to be 0.46 feet, and 0.13 feet at Everett.

The minimum wave height for a tsunami advisory on the Washington coast is 6 inches.

This afternoon, coastal residents are advised by the NWS to “stay out of the water, off the beach, and away from harbors and marinas. … Wave heights are difficult to predict.”