The National Tsunami Warning Center issued an advisory Wednesday night for coastal California between San Onofre Beach, 45 miles southeast of Los Angeles, and Ragged Point, which is 50 miles northwest of San Luis Obispo, according to Santa Barbara County Office of Emergency Management.
Authorities are on alert following a magnitude-8.3 earthquake in Chile at 3:55 p.m. (PDT) Wednesday.
The resulting tsunami to the California Coast is expected to be less than 1-foot high, according to NOAA. The impact to Santa Barbara County is expected at 5:06 a.m. Thursday.
People in coastal areas are advised to stay 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 the water is expected or is already occurring,” according to the county advisory.
“Areas in the advisory should not expect widespread inundation. Tsunamis are a series of waves dangerous many hours after initial arrival time. The first wave may not be the largest.”
Estimated tsunami start times range from 4:46 a.m. (Newport Beach) to 5:10 a.m. (Port San Luis) Thursday in California.
Vandenberg Air Force Base closed all of its beaches until further notice — Surf, Minuteman, Wall and Brown Beach near Point Sal — after the advisory was issued.
“The tsunami advisories mean the shoreline on Vandenberg AFB could experience strong ocean currents, large waves, and a rise of 1 foot in tidal levels beginning at approximately 5 a.m. Thursday,” according to a statement from the 30th Space Wing Public Affairs. “The conditions could last for several hours.”
Target areas for the advisory include: Catalina and Santa Barbara Islands; the Los Angeles County coast including downtown Los Angeles; the Orange County coast; the San Luis Obispo County Central Coast; San Miguel and Santa Rosa Islands; Santa Barbara County Central Coast; Santa Barbara County South Coast; Santa Cruz and Anacapa Islands; and the Ventura County Coast.
While federal officials were monitoring the danger to California, a tsunami watch is in effect for Hawaii, county officials said.
The earthquake occurred off the coast of central Chile and the U.S. National Tsunami Warning Center is analyzing the event, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
It could potentially generate a tsunami that impacts the U.S. West Coast, British Columbia, or Alaska, authorities said.
The earthquake has potential to generate a destructive tsunami in the source region, according to NOAA.
— Noozhawk North County editor Janene Scully can be reached at jscully@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.
