The coast of California is under a tsunami advisory after a magnitude 8.8 earthquake struck the east coast of Russia, the National Weather Service announced Tuesday.
A tsunami advisory is now in effect from the California-Mexico border to Chignik Bay, Alaska, NWS and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said. More northern parts of Alaska are under an advisory and warning.
The advisory for California’s coast, which was elevated from NWS’ initial watch, comes after an 8.8-magnitude earthquake rattled Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, Russia at 4:24 p.m. PST, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. It hit at a depth of 12 miles and several aftershocks have occurred near the origin of the temblor.
NWS warned that the coastlines of all of Hawaii’s islands could see damage due to the anticipated tsunami. The first waves are expected to occur at 7 p.m. local time.
“Urgent action should be taken to protect lives and property,” NWS’ warning stated.
Seismologist Dr. Lucy Jones said that locally, waves from the tsunami may not reach the coast until the overnight hours, if that.
“If there were waves coming here, they’d be arriving about 1 in the morning our time,” she said.
“The good news in California is that we mostly have cliffs and if we were to have a 1-foot tsunami or even a 3-foot tsunami, you don’t have to go very far away from the beach until you’re about three feet above sea level,” she added. “Therefore, our areas of risk are very small.”
LA Mayor Karen Bass said she’s aware of the advisory and is in touch with the Port of Los Angeles and coastal leaders about preparations for the overnight hours. President Donald Trump also said he’s aware of the weather alerts. He added he wants everyone to “stay strong and stay safe.”
Source: NBC Los Angeles