A tsunami advisory is in effect for the West Coast of the United States. “A tsunami has been confirmed and some impacts are expected,” the National Weather Service National Tsunami Warning Center said early Saturday.
A tsunami advisory is in effect for:
- The California coast from the California-Mexico border to the Oregon-California border, including San Francisco Bay.
- The Oregon coast from the Oregon-California border to the Oregon-Washington border, including the Columbia River estuary coast.
- The outer coast of Washington state from the Oregon-Washington border to Slip Point, Columbia River estuary coast, and the Juan de Fuca Strait coast.
- The north coast of British Columbia, and Haida Gwaii, the central coast and northeast Vancouver Island, the outer west coast of Vancouver Island, the Juan de Fuca Strait coast.
- The inner and outer coast of Southeast Alaska from the BC-Alaska border to Cape Fairweather, Alaska.
- South Alaska and the Alaska Peninsula – Pacific coasts from Cape Fairweather, Alaska, to Unimak Pass, Alaska.
- Aleutian Islands – Unimak Pass, Alaska, to Attu, Alaska including the Pribilof Islands.
The National Tsunami Warning Center said a volcanic eruption occurred in the Tonga Islands.
For those in an area under a tsunami advisory, strong waves and currents are possible. “Some impacts may continue for many hours to days after arrival of the first wave,” the center says.
Later waves may be larger than any initial wave. “Each wave may last 5 to 45 minutes as a wave encroaches and recedes,” it says.
Signs of a tsunami include strong currents, a shoreline that has receded or is rapidly receding, and unusual waves and
sounds. “The tsunami may appear as water moving rapidly out to sea, a gentle rising tide like flood with no breaking wave,
as a series of breaking waves, or a frothy wall of water,” the National Tsunami Warning Center says.
This story is developing and will be updated.
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