Photo: Patrick T. FALLON/AFP via Getty
A tsunami advisorywas issued for Hawaii and portions of four other West Coast states on Saturday following a massive volcanic eruption near Tonga.
According to theNational Weather Service, people are encouraged to “stay out of the water and away from the shore” during an active tsunami advisory due to the strong waves and dangerous currents associated with the event.
So far, the NWS has reported wave heights of up to 4 ft. Some of thebiggest waveshave been spotted in Port San Luis, Calif. (4 ft.), Crescent City, Calif., (2.7 ft.) and King Cove, Alaska, (2.8 ft.).
The NWS’s Pacific Tsunami Warning Center reported that waves had beguncoming ashorein Hawaii around 4 a.m. local time. The first tsunami waves hit the West Coast a short time later.
Around 6 a.m., the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center reportedwave amplitudes were decreasing, but that conditions along Hawaii’s coasts were still “potentially hazardous,” according to the Hawaii Emergency Management Agency.
“Remember that a tsunamiisn’t likelyto look like a classic ‘breaking wave;’ it’s more of a massive surge of water that can rise quickly and with great power,” Hawaii EMA said on Twitter.
NWS Portland reported that Hawaii experiencedmore than three hoursof advisory-level wave heights. Hawaii EMA announced at 8 a.m. local time that the state’s tsunami advisoryhad been canceled.
The NWS PTWC reported that the state experienced minimal damage. “We are relieved that there is no reported damage and only minor flooding through-out the islands,” the agency said Saturday morning.
In California, former MLB photographer Tim Cattera captured several clips of thetsunami surgesand the resulting damage around the Santa Cruz Harbor. In two separate videos, water can be seenflowing onto the pavementnear a dock, whileboat damagecan be seen in another.
TheSanta Cruz Sentinalalso shared an image of the harbor flooding, withmultiple vehicles submergedin the rising waters. Santa Cruz police have since asked individuals to “avoid the beach and oceanuntil further notice.”
Tsunami advisories have also been issued forportions of Japanbordering the Pacific Ocean, according to the Japan Meteorological Agency.
source: people.com
