A massive earthquake off the east coast of Russia has prompted a tsunami advisory for Santa Barbara County and the rest of the California coast.
The magnitude-8.8 temblor struck at 4:25 p.m. Tuesday Pacific Time in the North Pacific Ocean about 80 miles southeast of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatka, Russia.
“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,” the National Tsunami Warning Center said. ”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,” the advisory added.
Tsunamis can be preceded by a noticeable fall in the sea level as the ocean retreats.
The estimated start time for a Santa Barbara tsunami is 12:45 a.m. Wednesday.
People are advised to stay out of the water, and away from beaches and waterways.
Initially, Santa Barbara County was in a tsunami watch, but it was upgraded to an advisory at about 7 p.m.
The advisory remained in effect as of 8 a.m. Wednesday.
City officials said there were no issues related to the tsunami along the Santa Barbara Waterfront.
“Tsunami watches are an advance notice to areas that could be impacted by a tsunami at a later time.Watch areas may be upgraded to a warning or advisory status, or canceled, based on new information,” authorities said.
The city of Santa Barbara closed all beaches, waterfront parking lots and Stearns Wharf until 6 a.m. Wednesday.
For Port San Luis near Avila Beach in San Luis Obispo County, the tsunami start time is estimated at 12:35 a.m., while the Los Angeles Harbor arrival is estimated at 1 a.m.
Boat operators should move the vessel, if time and conditions permit, out to sea to a depth of at least 180 feet.
If at sea, avoid entering shallow water, harbors, marinas, bays, and inlets to avoid floating and submerged debris and strong currents.
The initial tsunami watch stretched along coastal areas of California, Oregon, Washington, British Columbia and Alaska.
The quake reportedly is the largest experienced across the globe since a 2011 temblor in Japan.
The epicenter for Tuesday’s temblor was located 28 miles southeast of the 1952 magnitude-9.0 Kamchatka earthquake’s epicenter, which resulted in a destructive, Pacific-wide tsunami, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.