At the risk of sounding like an alarmist -- oh hush, yous -- a tsunami warning has been issued for the California and Oregon coasts. We're not buying it. But still, check it.
Tsunami AdvisoryStatement as of 3:02 PM PDT on September 29, 2009
... A tsunami advisory is in effect which includes the coastal areas of California and Oregon from the California-Mexico border to the Oregon-Washington border...
Persons in tsunami advisory areas should move out of the water... off the beach and out of harbors and marinas.
Tsunami advisories mean that a tsunami capable of producing strong currents or waves dangerous to persons in or very near water is imminent of expected. Significant widespread inundation is not expected for areas in an advisory. Tsunamis are a series of
waves potentially dangerous several hours after initial arrival time. Estimated times of initial wave arrival for selected sites in the advisory are provided below.Santa Barbara-CA 2103 PDT Sep 29 San Francisco-CA 2125 PDT Sep 29
La Jolla-CA 2107 PDT Sep 29 Charleston-or 2128 PDT Sep 29
Crescent City-CA 2116 PDT Sep 29 seaside-or 2201 PDT Sep 29
for arrival times at additional locations see
wcatwc.Arh.NOAA.Gov
Update: Fabulous news. AP says that a tsunami will not hit the West Coast. (And AP is never wrong!) Seems the advisory was issued after a 8.3 earthquake hit Samoa. Anyway, stay tuned. Or, you know, kick with your legs.
Update II: Alert SF says "At 10:48 am an 8.0 earthquake was registered off the coast of American Samoa. At 1502 hours a Tsunami Advisory was issued for the coast of California. The tsunami is expected to generate a wave amplitude of less than 50 cm for San Francisco. This may cause currents that can be hazardous for boaters and swimmers, but it is not expected to do damage to the coastline. The first waves are expected to hit SF at approximately 2125 hours and last for a few hours. We are advising the public to please avoid swimming and boating this evening."
