Latest news with #advisory
CBC
4 hours ago
- Climate
- CBC
B.C. lifts tsunami advisory after major earthquake off Russian coast
Social Sharing The British Columbia government has cancelled a tsunami advisory that was issued after a massive underwater earthquake struck off the coast of Russia — one of the strongest ever recorded. The advisory initially said tsunami waves of less than 30 centimetres were expected to hit Tofino, B.C., around 11:30 p.m. PT Tuesday. The earthquake was given a preliminary magnitude of 8.8. Overnight, the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said the waves were highest in B.C. at Langara Island, on the northern tip of Haida Gwaii, at 27 centimetres. They were 21 centimetres in Tofino. The Ministry of Emergency Management and Climate Readiness issued a bulletin Wednesday morning saying the province was standing down its operations centre. "No zones of coastal British Columbia are at risk. Repeat, no zones of coastal British Columbia are at risk," the 6:25 a.m. PT bulletin read. While the advisory was in place, British Columbians were being urged to stay away from the coast. The District of Tofino had closed beaches and the province's emergency information agency warned of strong waves and currents. WATCH | B.C. coast tsunami advisory lifted: Tsunami advisory cancelled for B.C. coast after massive Pacific earthquake 2 hours ago A tsunami advisory for multiple parts of the B.C. coast was cancelled early Wednesday following a large earthquake in the Pacific basin near Russia on Tuesday. The quake struck just before 4:25 p.m. PT on Tuesday, about 119 kilometres east-southeast of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, a city of about 180,000 residents in Russia's Kamchatka region. The preliminary magnitude of 8.8 would make it the world's strongest quake since 2011, and one of the 10 most powerful recorded since 1900, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. Signs alerting people about the now-cancelled tsunami advisory had been posted at Wickaninnish Beach in Pacific Rim National Park, southeast of Tofino, but people continued to take in Tuesday's sunset, although the parking lot was mostly empty. Campers at the JX Surf Shop campground between Tofino and Ucluelet on Vancouver Island were glued to their phones Tuesday night searching for news about the tsunami, but most campers appeared to be staying put. Beyond B.C., the quake sent tsunami waves into Japan, Hawaii and the U.S. West Coast. Several people were injured, but none gravely, and no major damage has been reported so far. Authorities warned the risk from the quake could last for hours, and millions of people potentially in the path of the waves were initially told to move away from the shore or seek high ground. The worst appeared to have passed for many areas, including the U.S., Japan and the affected parts of Russia. But Chile raised its tsunami warning to the highest level for most of its lengthy Pacific coast and said it was evacuating hundreds of people. In the immediate aftermath of the quake off Russia's Kamchatka peninsula, residents fled inland as ports flooded, and several were injured while rushing to leave buildings.
National Post
4 hours ago
- Climate
- National Post
Tsunami advisory cancelled for B.C. coast after massive earthquake near Russia
A tsunami advisory was cancelled early Wednesday morning for B.C.'s coast after a massive 8.8 magnitude earthquake struck in Russia's Kamchatka peninsula on Tuesday afternoon. Article content Article content Article content The U.S. National Tsunami Warning Center says B.C.'s north coast and Haida Gwaii, the central coast and northeast Vancouver Island, the outer west coast of Vancouver Island and the Juan de Fuca Strait were all subject to the advisory on Tuesday. Article content Article content Those areas had earlier been covered by a tsunami watch, but that was later upgraded to an advisory, meaning strong currents were likely. Article content However a social post from Emergency Info B.C. posted shortly after 6:30 a.m. said the tsunami advisory for all zones in B.C. 'has been cancelled.' However, at 1:20 a.m. Pacific daylight time, the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration updated its tsunami bulletin to include regional observations. For British Columbia, that included an 'observed maximum tsunami height' of six centimetres at Langara Island, 27 centimetres at Winter Harbour, 21 centimetres at Tofino and nine centimetres at Bamfield. Article content Article content Signs alerting people about the tsunami advisory were posted at Wickaninish Beach in Pacific Rim National Park, southeast of Tofino, but people continued to take in Tuesday's sunset, although the parking lot was mostly empty. Article content Article content Campers at the JX Surf Shop campground between Tofino and Ucluelet on Vancouver Island were glued to their phones overnight searching for the news about the tsunami. However, most appeared to be staying put for the night. Article content People in all the affected areas are asked to stay out of the water and to not go near the water to watch currents or waves.
CBC
6 hours ago
- Climate
- CBC
Tsunami advisory cancelled for B.C. coast after massive Pacific earthquake
Breaking Residents of much of coastal B.C. were asked earlier to avoid beaches, shorelines late Tuesday THE LATEST: The National Tsunami Warning Centre cancelled a tsunami advisory for coastal B.C. early Wednesday. Residents of much of coastal B.C. were asked to avoid beaches and shorelines after a tsunami advisory was issued late Tuesday. An advisory is the second step in a three-tiered warning system, and it means strong currents are likely. Officials say an advisory means significant flooding isn't expected, but strong currents could be dangerous for those near the water. The advisory covers B.C.'s central and north coasts, Haida Gwaii and the west and northeast coasts of Vancouver Island. It also spans Juan de Fuca Strait and Greater Victoria, including the Saanich Peninsula. The District of Tofino on Vancouver Island had expected tsunami activity to reach the community overnight. A tsunami advisory for multiple parts of the B.C. coast was cancelled early Wednesday following a large earthquake in the Pacific basin near Kamchatka, Russia, on Tuesday afternoon. The U.S.-based National Tsunami Warning Centre says there was a magnitude 8.8 earthquake, with B.C. officials saying it occurred around 135 kilometres southeast of the Russian city of Petropavlovsk around 4:25 p.m. PT. A tsunami advisory, upgraded from an earlier watch, was issued for B.C.'s north and central coasts, including Kitimat and Bella Coola, Haida Gwaii and the west and northeast coasts of Vancouver Island. It also spanned the Juan de Fuca Strait from Jordan River to Greater Victoria, including the Saanich Peninsula. A tsunami advisory means residents should move away from the ocean and stay alert for more instructions from officials. "Significant inundation is not expected for areas under an advisory, but coastal zones may be at risk due to strong currents," reads an Emergency Info B.C. advisory. The advisory adds strong waves and currents could drown or injure people who are in the water, and currents at beaches, harbours, marinas or bays could be especially dangerous. It had earlier advised boat operators in areas under a tsunami watch to move their boats out to sea to a depth of at least 55 metres if time and conditions permit, and avoid shallow water and inlets if they are already at sea. A tsunami warning, which is the highest level, means that residents should move away from the water immediately. Taimi Mulder, an earthquake seismologist with Natural Resources Canada, said that even if forecasted tsunami wave heights were small, people should heed the warnings to stay away from the water. "One still wants to be away from the water, and the water's edge, at that time," she told CBC News late Tuesday night. "Because unpredictable things could happen, and the currents will be much stronger than normal, and the water will be more confused-looking than normal." WATCH | Tsunami warnings issued after quake: Tofino beaches closed The District of Tofino on the west coast of Vancouver Island said in an emergency notification around 7 p.m. PT that people shouldn't go to the shore to observe the waves, and later told CBC News in an email that it had closed all beaches until further notice. Emergency Info B.C. says Langara Island, off the coast of Haida Gwaii, saw tsunami waves around 10:05 p.m. PT, but the wave height was forecast to be less than 30 centimetres. Early Wednesday, the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration updated its tsunami bulletin to include regional observations, and for B.C., that included an "observed maximum tsunami height" of 27 centimetres at Winter Harbour, and 21 centimetres at Tofino. John Cassidy, another seismologist with Natural Resources Canada, said Tuesday's earthquake was the type of seismic movement that was most likely to generate a tsunami. "Those waves can travel across the Pacific.... They can travel a long way when they're out in the open ocean," he told Jason D'Souza, host of CBC's All Points West, just before 6 p.m. PT on Tuesday. "The tsunami waves travel at about the same speed as a jet," he added. If the magnitude of 8.8 is confirmed, the earthquake would be among the top 10 strongest earthquakes recorded since 1900, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. It would be the strongest earthquake since the devastating 2011 earthquake that struck near the Tōhoku region of Japan, which had a magnitude of 9.0 and triggered a tsunami wave more than 40 metres high. "It's a larger earthquake than we've seen,... in my lifetime anyway, that's that close [and] could potentially affect our B.C. coast," said Elmer Frank, chief councillor of the Tla-o-qui-aht First Nation, whose traditional territories encompass Tofino and Ucluelet on Vancouver Island. Frank said Tuesday's earthquake and tsunami scare is a reminder for his community to keep up on emergency drills and preparedness. No major tsunami expected to hit Hawaii The U.S. Geological Survey, in an updated measurement on Tuesday evening, said the quake hit at a depth of 20.7 kilometres. In the U.S. state of Hawaii, waves of up to 1.7 metres impacted the islands before the Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre reduced its warning level for the state late Tuesday, saying no major tsunami was expected. Cars jammed streets and highways in Hawaii's capital of Honolulu, with standstill traffic even in areas away from the shoreline. Ports on the Kamchatka Peninsula in Russia near the 8.8 magnitude quake's epicentre flooded as residents fled inland, and frothy, white waves washed up to the shore in northern Japan. People went to evacuation centres in affected areas of Japan, with memories fresh of the 2011 earthquake and tsunami that caused reactor meltdowns at a nuclear power plant. No abnormalities in operations at Japan's nuclear plants were reported Wednesday. Russian authorities said several people were injured, without giving a figure. In Japan, at least one person was injured.
CBS News
6 hours ago
- Climate
- CBS News
Tsunami advisory expires along California coast south of Santa Barbara County, National Weather Service says
The tsunami advisory issued along the Southern California coast on Tuesday night has expired, the National Weather Service confirmed Wednesday morning. Both the Los Angeles and San Diego field offices for the NWS confirmed that advisories expired across the entirety of the coast in Ventura, Los Angeles, Orange and San Diego counties. As of 6:20 a.m., advisories were still in place from the southern border of Santa Barbara County and the Humboldt and Del Norte County line. The advisories were issued after a massive 8.8 magnitude earthquake struck near the Kamchatka Peninsula in eastern Russia around 4:30 p.m. Pacific. From then on, the entire West Coast of the U.S. was placed on a tsunami watch, later upgraded to an advisory. The advisory was also lifted in Hawaii, but not before large portions of the state were subject to evacuation orders. No major damages have been reported yet. This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
CBC
7 hours ago
- Climate
- CBC
B.C. coast remains under tsunami advisory after massive Russian earthquake
Residents have been urged to avoid shorelines and beaches after a tsunami advisory was issued for multiple parts of the B.C. coast following a large earthquake in the Pacific basin off of Russia. An advisory is the second step in a three-tiered warning system, and it means strong currents are likely.
