Posted on 02/27/2010 4:37:11 AM PST by 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
You’ve got an anxious grandmother of two precious twins boys here, they live in Ewa Beach.
Thanks for the link and again, prayers up!
One minute after the tsunami hits and the world will be less that many stoopid ‘journalists’ standing on the beach reporting, “Look at that, will ya? It’s a 15 ft tall wall of water! But since I’m invincible it will go all around me and AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!” ( bubbly gurgling noises ensue)
The good news according to the prediction maps is this will be MUCH less tall as the waves occurring just south of the island and closer to the earthquake epicenter.
HOWEVER, a tsunami is almost a sure bet.
GET TO HIGH GROUND! Prayers for everyone in the path of this wave.
Initial reports are a wave covered the entire islands close to the epicenter.
Alaska seems to have had a slew of earthquakes recently as well—not as big as Chile’s but still—keep safe up there in Wasilla!
If I was there I would have you grabbing food and supplies for at least three days and getting somewhere higher, there is already the naysayers and poh pooers saying its going to be nothing, just a metric mixup.
Take care, I have never been to Hawaii so I don’t know offhand where you are but if its near sea level you should move to safer ground.
I’m sure the baby grands will be A-OK.
Well the timing was close. lol
It probably wouldn't have awakened me either but the rarity of it would get my attention where I live. Strong building are a good thing.
I’m going to be away from my computer much of today, so I won’t be able to update this thread.
Well we CAN have an earthquake almost as big, I still see the ground displacement from the 1964 Good Friday quake not far from where I live near Wasilla.
Great map. Thanks.
In about 15-18 minutes you will hear sirens, bonne chance.
haiti, japan, chile.....it’s beginning to feel almost biblical.
Folks, California north are in virtually NO danger.
At best they are talking about maybe a bit of a higher tide.
At least that’s what they are saying now. I wouldn’t get close to the beach just in case the models are wrong.
Great illustration. Thanks for posting.
I could disagree, a surge at high tide hitting a marina in CA will cause damage.
“Westport, Washington 1457 PST FEB 27 2257 UTC FEB 27”
Aw shucks, no going to the beach today.
One would think that Vancouver itself would be somewhat shielded by Vancouver Island. However, I also saw a wave arrival time in SEATTLE. We are directly shielded from the ocean by 100 miles of Olympic Peninsula, but if the wave can bend around coasts...who knows? Arrival time in Seattle estimated at 16:45 today. It’ll be earlier than that IF Vancouver is affected.
One thing I know: the IBC is at sea level.
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