Tsunami Warning for Hawaii, First Wave at 11:19 a.m. HST, 10-15 Foot Waves; Advisory for West Coast

Saturday, February 27, 2010 | Kristinn/ NWS

[kristinn]

The National Weather Service Pacific Tsunami Warning Center has issued a tsunami warning for Hawaii and a tsunami advisory for the West Coast of the United States.

A NWS spokesman on CNN says it is estimated the tsunami waves will be 10 to 15 feet high when they hit Hawaii. The tsunmi waves could last up to six hours.

Recent buoy reports of wave heights vary from 5 to 16 feet.

Latest statement on Hawaii:

BULLETIN
TSUNAMI MESSAGE NUMBER 7
NWS PACIFIC TSUNAMI WARNING CENTER EWA BEACH HI
148 AM HST SAT FEB 27 2010

TO - CIVIL DEFENSE IN THE STATE OF HAWAII

SUBJECT - TSUNAMI WARNING SUPPLEMENT

A TSUNAMI WARNING CONTINUES IN EFFECT FOR THE STATE OF HAWAII.

SNIP

EVALUATION

A TSUNAMI HAS BEEN GENERATED THAT COULD CAUSE DAMAGE ALONG COASTLINES OF ALL ISLANDS IN THE STATE OF HAWAII. URGENT ACTION SHOULD BE TAKEN TO PROTECT LIVES AND PROPERTY.

A TSUNAMI IS A SERIES OF LONG OCEAN WAVES. EACH INDIVIDUAL WAVE CREST CAN LAST 5 TO 15 MINUTES OR MORE AND EXTENSIVELY FLOOD COASTAL AREAS. THE DANGER CAN CONTINUE FOR MANY HOURS AFTER THE INITIAL WAVE AS SUBSEQUENT WAVES ARRIVE. TSUNAMI WAVE HEIGHTS CANNOT BE PREDICTED AND THE FIRST WAVE MAY NOT BE THE LARGEST. TSUNAMI WAVES EFFICIENTLY WRAP AROUND ISLANDS. ALL SHORES ARE AT RISK NO MATTER WHICH DIRECTION THEY FACE. THE TROUGH OF A TSUNAMI WAVE MAY TEMPORARILY EXPOSE THE SEAFLOOR BUT THE AREA WILL QUICKLY FLOOD AGAIN. EXTREMELY STRONG AND UNUSUAL NEARSHORE CURRENTS CAN ACCOMPANY A TSUNAMI. DEBRIS PICKED UP AND CARRIED BY A TSUNAMI AMPLIFIES ITS DESTRUCTIVE POWER. SIMULTANEOUS HIGH TIDES OR HIGH SURF CAN SIGNIFICANTLY INCREASE THE TSUNAMI HAZARD.

THE ESTIMATED ARRIVAL TIME IN HAWAII OF THE FIRST TSUNAMI WAVE IS

1119 AM HST SAT 27 FEB 2010

The NWS has also issued a tsunami warning for most of the Pacific region:

TSUNAMI BULLETIN NUMBER 006
PACIFIC TSUNAMI WARNING CENTER/NOAA/NWS
ISSUED AT 1147Z 27 FEB 2010

Here is a local report on the West Coast tsunami advisory:

A tsunami advisory has been issued for the California coast, including Del Norte County, following a massive 8.8-magnitude earthquake that struck off the central coast of Chile at 10:34 p.m. PST Friday.

The forecasted arrival time for Crescent City is 1:46 p.m. PST Saturday, however tsunamis can be dangerous for many hours after arrival, and the initial wave is not necessarily the largest, the West Coast and Alaska Tsunami Warning Center says.

THIS BULLETIN APPLIES TO AREAS WITHIN AND BORDERING THE PACIFIC OCEAN AND ADJACENT SEAS...EXCEPT ALASKA...BRITISH COLUMBIA... WASHINGTON...OREGON AND CALIFORNIA.

... A WIDESPREAD TSUNAMI WARNING IS IN EFFECT ...

A TSUNAMI WARNING IS IN EFFECT FOR

CHILE / PERU / ECUADOR / COLOMBIA / ANTARCTICA / PANAMA / COSTA RICA / NICARAGUA / PITCAIRN / HONDURAS / EL SALVADOR / GUATEMALA / FR. POLYNESIA / MEXICO / COOK ISLANDS / KIRIBATI / KERMADEC IS / NIUE / NEW ZEALAND / TONGA / AMERICAN SAMOA / SAMOA / JARVIS IS. / WALLIS-FUTUNA / TOKELAU / FIJI / AUSTRALIA / HAWAII / PALMYRA IS. / TUVALU / VANUATU / HOWLAND-BAKER / NEW CALEDONIA / JOHNSTON IS. / SOLOMON IS. / NAURU / MARSHALL IS. / MIDWAY IS. / KOSRAE / PAPUA NEW GUINEA / POHNPEI / WAKE IS. / CHUUK / RUSSIA / MARCUS IS. / INDONESIA / N. MARIANAS / GUAM / YAP / BELAU / JAPAN / PHILIPPINES / CHINESE TAIPEI

[BIGLOOK]

Thanks for your concern. It turned out to be a fizzle that muddied the water in Hilo Bay and got a whole lot of people displaced for a while. It was real but small but Hilo is the Tsunami Capital of the World and threats are taken seriously.

I worry more about the snow falls in the mainland, weekly and daily, that are reported on the news than singular events like this. I've got family all across those areas and a warning siren at 0600 for evacuation is nothing compared to a phone call from a relative with bad news.

[yorkie]

If it is OK with you- I will call you, when I ‘get’ one or two...... I have a vacuum seal machine - that takes the air out of anything (the durned thing smushes a beer can like it was a paper bag) ............. and if the meat was tasty and didn’t have that wild taste - I’d go for it.

I have never shot the 38. I am planning on taking Conceal/Carry classes next month.

[pollywog]

LOLOLOL... well we just finished a lovely evening. A great beef taco salad per Yorkie’s suggestion and some great fellowship with my family. All’s well that end’s well!!

Have a great night friends!

Polly

[pollywog]

What a great tip!! Who needs a oven anyway!!!

Did you know you can make awesome biscuits on the grill?! LOL Just put them on the top shelf, close the lid, and in about 5 mins you have the prettiest golden brown biscuits you could want!

[Brad’s Gramma]

I had.........CHIPOTLE!!!!!!!! LOLOLOL!!!

[BIGLOOK]

If the javelina are eating your garden, they'll be pretty tasty. If you think they're gamey tasting, try another wine before dining.

Bon Appetit!

[luvie]

It’s always good fun when FReeper FReiends can get together...even if it did start out to be quite a serious discussion!

Nighty-night!

[pollywog]

Hey BG, I love Chipotle the grill... if that’s what you are talking about!
Easy and not too pricey!

Off to get some shuteye!

[pollywog]

Amen ... Seeya around!

[Theo]

Look! I can make my comment super-special by putting a box around it too. Look! I'm the exception!
Yes, it really is gay to draw attention to YOUR post by putting a cute little box around it, "I see my hands."

[AmericanInTokyo]

They probably threatened them with arrest, to make the point that it was no joke. Glad she is safe. I knew exactly the patrols would get to these isolated people in Hawaii. Good for them.

[REDWOOD99]

Dude! That was necessary?

[El Gato]

Not since Geraldo opened Al Capone’s safe has there been such a knee slapping belly laugh at a huge “nothing” . This was the “fizzler” of all time. Anyone with a brain knew that since there was no wave at Easter Islands there was NOT any Tsunami!!! Pressure in water moves in concentric circles !!! what a laugh — not in fingers of uneven waves. What a joke. W!

Well it would if the ocean were everywhere the same depth, with the same temperature profile and there were no land masses. Other than that, you're right. But there was considerable tsunami damage closer to Chile. Boats thrown all over the place, up onto the shore, and/or just broken up. Later there were 5 foot (1.5 meters) waves in New Zealand. There were 2 meter waves, causing damage in French Polynesia

[Kathy in Alaska]

Glad you evacuated, and glad that things were not as bad as they could have been.

[AmericanInTokyo]

Japan still under severe alert but people are watching closely and breathing a little easier, yet serious dangers remain.

Weare at sea level in Tokyo area but far from where some tsunami waves would come and do damage or take lives. We (Japanese east coast) started getting hit a few hours ago. In Hokkaido they had waves that were nearly 10 feet tall. All I hear overhead is Japan Air Self Defense and Coastal Patrol helicopters. I am not getting any reports of deaths, but now doubt some damage has come to Japan.

Map of just a few minutes ago:

Red= waves over NINE FEET IN HEIGTH....dark yellow = waves up to 6 feet or so. Most of the shore area is not in the 9 feet zone, but areas of Tohoku are under watch and Japanese TV has been nonstop with reports on every channnel, people fleeing safely to high areas, in a wonderful, calm public security evacuation process on a national level. Very proud of how Japan is handling this crisis as I speak. (1:20 a.m. Sunday Eastern)

AiT-Japan

It may be "wow, we dodged that bullet, time for a beer" for some people, but in this country the threat is not over yet. Also, I pray for the poor people in Chile. What a disaster.

[Liberty Valance]

Great info. Thanks for posting.

[BIGLOOK]

Glad you evacuated

And to think that I could've stayed home watching a disaster movie rerun that's the fare these days.....or the news?

Lunch with the kids was a high point after all the brouhaha this morning.

Any idea how many pizza slices a two year old can hold or how many tumblers of juice a 4 year old can tumble?

An interesting day.

[Kathy in Alaska]

An interesting day for sure, but you were together.

I suspect a half dozen tumbled tumblers could easily have happened.

[BIGLOOK]

Nah....just three.

We kept watch on the other three.

[Kathy in Alaska]

Good thinking....the first 3 were a test. You passed!